Welcome!
Greg Boros
4/12/10For those of you that attended the dinner, please let me first express my most heart felt thanks. I haven't even entirely processed the night and can't take in how supportive you all were. Money continues to pour in but please let me tell you that as of right now the dinner has raised at least THIRTY ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!! Greg and Elise were shocked and incredibly moved and also would want to pass along their most sincere gratitude. I would like to encourage anyone reading this to please not treat last night as the finish line but rather as a mammoth milestone in the lifetime of support that Greg and Elise need to sustain themselves.
If you have caught a glimpse of Greg and Elise's heart for sharing their faith please consider becoming a part of their ministry support team as they serve at George Mason University through Campus Crusdade for Christ (CRU). I encourage you to research CRU and what it is that Greg and Elise do everyday in helping young people come to know Jesus. To become monthly supporters of Greg and Elise, please see their profile through CRU's website. You can learn more about the mission of CRU at http://www.ccri.org. Greg can be contacted directly with questions at gregboros@uscm.org
You can continue to follow Greg's physical progess through his and Elise's blog at http://gregboros.blogspot.com
This campaign will remain open and active even after my project is completed. please feel free to continue to send checks payable to "HZUMC MISSIONS" with Greg Boros in the memo line to 285 Evans Road, Zelienople, Pa 16063. Our local church will still continue to be the administrator of these funds to Greg and Elise.
Many Thanks and Much Love,
Nate
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SPAGHETTI DINNER AND SILENT AUCTION
APRIL 11, 2010 4:30 - 7:30 PM
HARMONY ZELIENOPLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
123 NORTH PITTSBURGH STREET
ZELIENOPLE, PA 16063
Thank you very much for stopping by this website. My name is Nate Boros and for my senior project I have endeavored to raise money for my oldest brother Greg and his wife Elise, who are currently missionaries to George Mason University in Washington DC through a campus ministry called Campus Crusade for Christ (or CRU).
On October 16, 2006, at the age of 21, Greg had a sudden cardiac arrest after leaving one of his classes at Penn State University. Thankfully, there were two gentlemen nearby who were trained in CPR and they were able to resuccitate Greg. Once in the ambulance on the way to Mt. Nittany Medical Center, Greg's heart stopped two more times and he was once again ressucitated. He was life flighted back to Allegheny General Hospital in Pgh, where all the experts could not determine why his heart had stopped. He had an AICD (pacemaker/ defibrillator) implanted in his chest, and he miraculously returned to PSU and finished the year on time, despite having lost his short term memory at the time of the arrest. He was enrolled in genetic studies to determine the cause of his problem, but nothing was ever found.
Greg and Elise were married on June 24, 2007, after graduating from Penn State University. Within a few months, they joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ and after developing a ministry support team (who actually pays their monthly salaries),they were assigned to serve at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA.
Since the time the AICD was implanted, it has shocked Greg's heart out of life threating rhythms four different times. Additionally,Greg underwent a cardiac ablation procedure for atrial flutter last spring. The abnormal rhythms of his heart have been an ongoing problem ever since 2006.
At the end of last summer, Greg began retaining large amounts of fluid in his abdomen and legs, along with shortness of breath, fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance. After many doctor visits and diagnostic tests, the doctors believed that he had a condition called constrictive pericarditis and they planned to do an open heart surgery to remove the sac from around his heart. He went for that surgery on January 21, 2010. Unfortunately, once the doctors had his chest opened up, it became very evident that removing the sac from around his heart was not going to correct the problem. The right side of Greg's heart is very dilated and so fluid doesn't get pumped through his heart and to the rest of his body as it should. There is no way to surgically fix the problem and so he was told that he would need a heart transplant. While still in the hospital recovering from the surgery, the necessary screening tests were all done and Greg's case was presented to the transplant review board where it was unanimously voted that he needs a heart transplant.
In early March, the physicians told Greg and Elise that they finally believe that they have a diagnosis that explains everything that has happened since 2006. It's called ARVD which stands for arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. It's a rare, progressive genetic disease that for some reason becomes "activated" often times in people in their 20's- 30's. It basically means that the cardiac cells in the right ventricle (lower chamber of the heart) mutate into fat cells. It has nothing to do with diet, but rather actually changes the whole structure of the cell. Since fat cells can't contract or conduct electricity, it manifests itself in electrical and pump problems which explains both of Greg's problems. Greg and Elise were scheduled to travel to Johns Hopkins on March 29 for specific ARVD testing. However, the insurance company is requiring extra time to review the need for the testing since it costs $30,000. Regardless of the results (which aren't always accurate according to the doctors), he most likely has the disease, since his clinical picture is so clear for it. The rest of our family will likely need to be tested in the near future as well.
Although they originally didn't want to transplant his heart any sooner than necessary, due to his young age, they now realize that for his safety, they need to transplant him more quickly. On March 18, he was notified that he had officially been approved by the transplant review board as a level 1B. The only level higher than that is a 1A, and those patients are ones who have artificial hearts or need to be hospitalized as they wait for their heart. He now is in the "active" transplant level, where he could receive a call to report to the hospital any time. The doctors have become more concerned lately because Greg is once again having alot of life threatening arrhythmias (V Tach) that show up when they "interrogate" his defibrillator - that means they "download" the information recorded on the device that is implanted in his chest that acts as a pacemaker and can also shock him if he goes into a sustained lethal arrhythmia as he has four times in the past.
The procedure itself plus a lifetime of anti-rejection medication is going to be a huge burden on Greg and Elise financially and emotionally. My goal with my project is to help alleviate some of the financial stress in Greg's life by having a spaghetti dinner fundraiser, the proceeds of which can be used by him to pay for his medical expenses or any other expenses he incurs during this waiting period before his transplant.
Cost of the dinner is 5 dollars but please know that a silent auction will be held as well as a free will offering!
The dinner will take place April 11th 4:30 - 7:30PM at
Harmony Zelienople United Methodist Church
123 North Pittsburgh Street
Zelienople, Pa 16063
(Please see www.hzumc.org for directions)
If you and/or your family plans on attending please send me an e-mail at nboros@zoominternt.net so I can better plan for the number of people to expect. Thank you so much!
If you're unable to attend, but would like to donate to Greg's health care fund, please send a check made out to"HZUMC" with Greg Boros Benefit written in the memo line. (ALL donations will be received by Greg in total). Mail checks to 285 Evans Road Zelienople PA 16063.
While Greg was in the hospital in January, there was a blog created for his wife and family to update everyone on his progress. Since that time, Greg and Elise have been using that site to share what they're going through. If you're interested in reading their thoughts or commenting on them, go to http://gregboros.blogspot.com
