LAUREL, Del. -Scott Stitcher has endured a long battle with his heart since birth. He was born what he calls a "blue baby." He had pulmonary atresia which basically means he had a hole between two chambers of his heart.
Over the years he's had bypass surgery, open heart surgery, totaling to around a dozen over the course of his life. The Sussex County man says he takes eight medications daily; he's only 46.
Over time, his heart has continued to decline. Now--it's only functioning at 25 percent. Doctors say Stitcher is in need of a heart transplant, as well as a new liver if he's to survive.
He hopes the two transplants will allow him long-lasting memories memories with his family--including his 8-year-old daughter Melina.
"I've been told by the hospital that the first year alone, the medications I'll be taking with immunosuppressants will be somewhere between thirty to fifty thousand dollars," Stitcher said--and that doesn't include the transplants themselves.
The total cost of both the liver and heart is about 1.4 million dollars, he says. Insurance will cover some of Stitcher's expenses, though he and his family worry about the copayment as well as the deductible.
Stitcher has yet to make the transplant list, though he's still receiving evaluations from doctors. He says, they may be waiting for his heart to decline even more before he can be added to the list.
In the meantime, local Delmarva businesses have rallied behind the Stitcher family to help ease their financial woes. Though he has yet to receive his new heart--he's earned the heart of some in Delmarva.
Today, Moes Southwest Grill in Salisbury held a fundraiser, and 50% of all earnings will go directly to Stitcher's medical expenses.
All you have to do is bring a copy of Stitcher's flyer to Moes, or simply tell workers you're there to support the cause.
Elisa Stitcher, his wife, says this will help their family tremendously.
"The past couple of years he's been in and out of the hospital. He's had congestive heart failure, he's had another cardioversion, he gets shortness of breath a lot quicker, he's not physically able to do things he used to be able to do," she said.
"For them to do this for us, and help as a community is a very encouraging thing, to know that people are willing to help support us."
To help support Scott Stitcher and his family at any time, you can visit this website, which has been collaborating with the Stitcher family throughout this battle https://helphopelive.org/campaign/14115/.
A copy of the flier to take to Moes can be found here https://s3.amazonaws.com/helphopelive/media/event_flyers/Stitcher_Scott-_Moes.pdf.
The fundraiser has been in partnership with the organization Help Hope Live, a medical fundraising non-profit.