Family Turns To Online Community To Save Mother With Heart Transplant

Maureen Waters was a perfectly healthy 52-year-old from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She has three children and an eight-month-old grandson named Noah. After days with the flu, she began experiencing chest pains and was taken to the hospital the day after Thanksgiving. Doctors said she had an infection that was severely weakening her heart and left it with only 10 percent of its functionality.

Doctors have told Waters' family that a heart transplant will save her life, but the expensive procedure may be out of range, as she was recently laid off from her job at a mortgage company and no longer has health insurance. Now, with Waters' window of opportunity for a new heart running out, her family has turned to the Internet to ask for prayers and financial support to save their mother's life. Waters' son, Daniel Pundik, says the procedure costs $500,000. Until she lost her job, Pundik says, "she worked her whole life, and always had insurance."

Waters' children have established a web site, Facebook account and Twitter handle under "Help Mend A Heart" to spread information and draw awareness to her plight.

Help Mend A Heart has already raised over $15,000 in just over one day, but much more is needed to get Maureen admitted to Jackson Memorial in Dade County and a heart transplant approved. She currently has a pacemaker in her heart and doctors are attempting to drain fluid from her heart through her leg.

To contribute to the fund for Maureen Waters' heart transplant, visit Helpmendaheart.com.

Time is of the essence, and the Waters/Pundik families appreciate any support that they receive. To keep updated with news of Maureen Waters, follow the Twitter handles Help Mend A Heart and Boomersaveus or become a fan of Help Mend A Heart's Facebook page.

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