DOUGLAS, Ga. (WALB) — A Douglas man diagnosed with stage 4 congestive heart failure has met the $9,000 fundraising goal his family says was required before he could be placed on a heart transplant list.

READ MORE >> Douglas man awaiting heart transplant as family races to raise $9k copay

David Reed’s wife, Shantrese Reed, said the family received donations from community members, including Shyda Davenport, who drove from Atlanta to give a $3,000 donation. Tyreek Hill and Julius B. Collins also partnered to donate a generous amount, according to the family.

“The way God is about to bless you, it’s going to be crazy for real,” Shantrese Reed told Davenport.

“It’s not about the blessing, it’s me just being a blessing to others,” Davenport said. “It definitely was God when he showed me that post.”

LVAD may be needed before transplant

Shantrese Reed said that even after David Reed’s name is placed on the transplant list, he may need a mechanical heart device called an LVAD if a donor heart is not available.

“If a heart is not available, he got to have an LVAD, that’s the mechanical heart,” Shantrese Reed said. “Y’all know how often hearts come up. That’s something that don’t happen very often. So nine times out of 10, he probably will have to have the LVAD.”

Shantrese Reed said the family will need to relocate to the Atlanta area for three to six months following any procedure.

“We got to, like, literally live and relocate to Atlanta for a few months,” she said. “That’s kind of hard, especially because Atlanta is like three and a half hours away.”

Additional appointments required before transplant list placement

Shantrese Reed said David Reed’s name will be able to be placed on the transplant list in three to four months. Until then, she said he is completing required doctor’s appointments and procedures, including an eye exam and a colonoscopy.

“Right now, he’s going through appointments, different doctor’s appointments, different procedures,” Shantrese Reed said. “Even whenever he does have the procedure, we will have to relocate to Atlanta, because we can’t stay no more than 30 to 60 minutes away from the hospital.”

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Family says community support has been overwhelming

David Reed said he has been surprised by the level of community support.

“It feels good. Overwhelming,” David Reed said. “The people that I wouldn’t have thought were there to come help me, help me. I feel real great, and I thank God for it, for touching the heart to come see me. I was feeling down and feel like I wasn’t loved enough, but people showed me love.”

Davenport, who said she had not previously met the Reeds, said she donated after feeling that the situation could affect anyone.

“I look at myself as being in other people’s shoes, and I have family as well. I’m a mother, so I just look at it as far as ‘what if it was me, what if it was my family,’” Davenport said. “It made me feel great that I’m able to help. You never know what someone else is going through.”

Reflecting on diagnosis and road ahead

David Reed said at first, he did not believe his diagnosis after going to the hospital about 2 a.m. thinking he had a toothache.

“I thought my teeth were bothering me. I thought it wasn’t a toothache, but all the while it was my heart,” David Reed said. “At first, I was kind of hard-headed. I didn’t believe it. But it got down to the point where I had to start taking it. I kept going in and out of the hospital.”

David Reed said congestive heart failure has limited his ability to be active with his grandchildren.

“They have to come inside, just sit in my lap and play. Until that, I can’t run behind them,” David Reed said. “Hopefully, I’ll get on the list and get everything handled so I can play with them and be outside with them.”

David Reed said he is prepared for the transplant process ahead.

“It’s scary. But I also know I got to go through it, and I got faith in God,” he said. “Thank God for everybody that helped me and that supported me.”

Cost of heart transplants can leave patients with expenses despite insurance

The estimated billed cost of a heart transplant is about $1.9 million, according to Milliman’s 2025 U.S. Organ and Tissue Transplants: Costs and Utilization report. The American Society of Transplantation says insurance coverage does not necessarily eliminate patients’ deductibles, copays, coinsurance, medication costs and other transplant-related expenses.

Research published on disparities in heart transplantation shows that insurance authorization and a patient’s financial ability to manage transplant-related costs can be part of the process before a patient is placed on a transplant list.

In David Reed’s case, his family said insurance covered a portion of his transplant-related expenses, but they were left responsible for a remaining $9,000 out-of-pocket cost before he could move forward.

The financial burden associated with transplantation is significant enough that researchers use the term “financial toxicity” to describe the financial hardship patients can experience because of medical care.

The federal government has taken some steps to address transplant affordability. A Medicare benefit that took effect in 2023 allows certain kidney transplant recipients to maintain coverage for immunosuppressive drugs beyond the previous 36-month limit, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. That benefit applies to kidney recipients and does not provide the same coverage for heart transplant patients.

Community invited to benefit event

A benefit for David Reed is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 4 p.m. at Empowerment Center International Ministries with Pastor Frank C. Bussey.

Shantrese Reed said the community can still support the family with travel-related costs, since being placed on the transplant list does not mark the end of the process. She said the road to recovery is still underway, and expenses tied to relocating to and staying near Atlanta continue.

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