Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> Dan Bates / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Dale Jarman, 48, zips his left ventrical assist device, which helps keep his blood flowing, into its bag after replacing the batteries Wednesday at his home in Monroe. His partner, Linda West (right), takes the spent batteries to be recharged. Dan Bates / The Herald  (click to enlarge) After installing fresh batteries, Dale Jarman tests his left ventrical assist device. Lights indicate a full charge. The device, he says, beeps every three hours, and he has 15 minutes to change the batteries.   ADVERTISEMENT   Heart transplant fundraiser A fundraising event for Dale Jarman, who needs a heart transplant, is set for 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Eagles Club, 1112 E. Main St., Sultan. The cost is $6 and includes a spaghetti dinner with salad, bread and dessert. People also can donate money to the Dale Jarman Heart Transplant Fund at local Key Bank branches.   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, July 25, 2008 Monroe man's grueling wait for a heart transplant By Yoshiaki Nohara, Herald Writer MONROE -- A sign on the door reads: "EMS Responders, No Chest Compressions." Dale Jarman lives inside the house a few miles north of Monroe. He has a pacemaker, defibrillator and pump installed in his chest to keep his weak heart going. Walking up a few stairs wears him out. His longtime girlfriend, Linda West, cares for him all the time. Jarman takes at least 21 pills a day. He has health insurance, but medical bills have reduced his savings from $30,000 to $3,000. Jarman is 48 years old. This isn't the way he planned to live. "It's very depressing not being able to do what I want to do," he said Wednesday. "Emotionally, it's very hard on me." Jarman is on a waiting list for a heart transplant at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. The procedure could cost him up to $500,000. His family and friends are set to hold a dinner in Sultan on Saturday to raise money for his medical bills. It could take six months to a year to find a new heart for Jarman, said Shauna Andrus, a heart-pump coordinator for the medical center who is working with him. It's uncommon for people as young as Jarman to need heart transplants, but it does happen. Surgeons at the medical center have performed 89 heart transplants since 2004, said Mary Guiden, a spokeswoman for the center. Of all the recipients, 13 were under age 40. Like Jarman, Steve Goforth, 37, of Stanwood is waiting for a heart transplant. The Everett firefighter was diagnosed earlier this year with congestive heart failure. He survives on a machine that keeps the blood flowing in his chest, his wife, Julie Goforth, said. Jarman said he never thought he would need to have his heart replaced. Born and raised in Monroe, he started working as a logger at 18. The danger of logging thrilled him. In his spare time, Jarman enjoyed riding dirt bikes up and down steep hills. His friends called him Dangerous Dale. He worked long hours without taking vacations and ate greasy food all the time. His cholesterol level rose over time, taking a toll on his health. In 1997, Jarman survived heart bypass surgery, something his father had as well. But complications caused Jarman to suffer a heart attack. After recovering, he kept toiling in the woods for 50 hours a week and riding motorcycles on weekends. In January 2007, he suffered another heart attack, forcing him to quit his nearly 30-year career as a logger, Jarman said. West, who started dating Jarman in 2003, moved in with her two children to take care of him. "We've been together for a long time. I'm not going to walk away from him," West said. Jarman has been in and out of the hospital since March. He even needs to be careful if paramedics come to his house. Chest compressions could break off the pump, cause internal bleeding and lead to his death. He has to wait for another year to be able to receive Medicare, he said. The predicament has changed his perspective on life. "I can't do what I want to do," he said. "That's tough. I guess something has changed. Some of the things that used to be important aren't important anymore." Jarman said he worries that he may have to sell his property soon. For now, he keeps his motorcycles in the garage, hoping to ride them again. Reporter Sharon Salyer contributed to this report. Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.

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