Just weeks before his 18th birthday and the start of his senior year in high school, Evan Bartholomew’s life was filled with his favorite things — hunting, fishing, camping and working on his truck.
But in June, that life took an unexpected turn. After seeking a doctor’s help for shortness of breath, abdominal pain and nausea, he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. The diagnosis was followed by the stunning news that he needs a new heart.
“It was pretty scary. We weren’t expecting it to be anything major,” his mother, Julie Bartholomew, told The Hutchinson News. “It’s not what any teenager dreams that the beginning of their adult life is going to be like. It’s been a big adjustment.”
Since the diagnosis, Evan has had to wear a LifeVest defibrillator constantly and is on continuous IV therapy.
The Haven High School senior only went back to school for two weeks before having a setback. This week, he is again hospitalized at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, his mother said.
Evan has one brother and two sisters. One sister is old enough to realize the seriousness of Evan’s illness, she said, but his younger siblings don’t quite understand.
“It has been quite an adjustment for him,” his mother said. “It’s not something he was expecting. He was more focused on getting a job and starting adulthood.”
Evan works for his dad Corey Bartholomew’s tree service, BARC Tree Care in Hutchinson, but since he got sick he hasn’t been able to work at all, she said.
Evan is known as “Tater” because when he was small, he was unable to properly pronounce his middle name, Taylor, his mother said.
“This has been such a shock to all of us. Just a few short weeks ago he was a healthy young man,” Julie Bartholomew wrote on the Facebook page Ticker 4 Tater. “This is a group dedicated to getting information out and supporting Evan throughout his transplant journey. We are all hanging on the best we can right now but would still greatly appreciate being included in your prayers.”
For now, it’s a waiting game for Evan. In the meantime, family friends have launched a fundraising page on the Children’s Organ Transplant Association website to raise funds for the family’s travel back and forth to Children’s Mercy Kansas City and other related expenses.
According to COTA, transplant procedures can cost upwards of $800,000. Once the transplant is complete, families face significant transplant-related expenses, including medication, transportation to and from the transplant center, lodging and expenses while parents are out of work and often living with the hospitalized child far from home.
“COTA helps transplant families avoid financial devastation,” the organization said in a news release. “These out-of-pocket expenses add up to tens of thousands of dollars annually for transplant families with lifetime totals often exceeding $1,000,000.”
COTA said 100% of all funds raised in honor of patients go toward transplant-related expenses.
As for “Tater,” the community is rallying around him and his family. A #Ticker4Tater Baked Potato Bar, Silent Auction and Drawing event is set for 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 7 at the Moose Lodge, 1401 E. 1st Ave. in Hutchinson, to raise money for the young man’s expenses. Tickets are $20 and may be ordered at the #Ticker4Tater event website.
“We just appreciate all that our family and friends and the community are doing for Evan,” said Julie Bartholomew. “They are mostly doing all the fundraising, which has been phenomenal.”
As reported in The Hutchinson News
