Money to help with heart transplant for Marques Coursey

CONWAY SPRINGS – The Conway Springs community is coming together to help one of their own.

A fundraiser will be held this Sunday to raise money for Marques Coursey, who at 20 years old needs a heart transplant. Gambino’s pizza will be donating a portion of all sales on Sunday to Coursey and his family. In addition, there will be a bake sale and a raffle. Donations will be accepted, too.

It’s been a difficult stretch for the entire family, but support from the Conway Springs community has made it easier to deal with everything.

On Feb. 27, Coursey was rushed to the hospital in Harper County after telling his mother, Kristina Ballard, that he felt like his heart was beating out of his chest.

After testing, doctors discovered his liver was failing but they were not sure why. Ballard was then airlifted to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. He was sent there because there were no open beds in Kansas.

“It was sudden. It came on quickly,” Ballard said.

There were no prior indications of heart trouble. His first symptom was a sore throat.

Further tests showed that his heart was failing, functioning at 10 percent. That was causing blood to pool in his liver and result in his other organs shutting down, Ballard said.

Coursey spent nearly a month in the hospital in Oklahoma. His liver improved as doctors treated his heart. He came home to Conway Springs, but soon his health began to deteriorate again. As his heart got worse, his liver function began to fail again.

He was then airlifted to KU Medical Center in Kansas City, and has been there since.

Viral myocarditis was the diagnosis, and then led to congestive heart failure. Ballard has been spending as much time with Coursey as possible. He is autistic, and the new situation can be unsettling. Ballard’s presence provides something familiar.

Everybody is doing what they can to help take Coursey’s mind of the seriousness of the situation.

“He loves to tell jokes,” Ballard said. “He loves the ‘Rocky’ movies. It’s his motivation to keep fighting.”

Coursey also loves the cards that have been sent. More cards are welcome. They can be mailed to PO Box 112, Conway Springs, KS 67031.

Ballard’s daughter, Hannah Ray, has helped coordinate efforts for monetary donations. Donations are being accepted at Casey’s in Conway Springs and at Spring View Manor. Online donations may be made through the following applications.

• Venmo: https://venmo. com/u/Classof0517.

• Cashapp: https://cash. app/$HPaintShop.

• PayPal: https://www. paypal.me/HRay0310.

• Chime: $Hannah- Ray-20.

The community has rallied to help. Ballard’s husband is physically limited because of an injury. People have stepped up to mow their yard, and a meal train has provided many meals that just need to be warmed up in the oven or the microwave. The monetary donations have allowed Ballard to take off work and spend a great deal of time with Coursey.

“It’s meant everything,” Ballard said about the support for her son “It’s made him smile on days when he might not have. If they weren’t helping, I wouldn’t get to be here.”

She has been amazed at the way the community has rallied around them.

“I never thought I would have the kind of help we have in Conway. Honesty, we couldn’t get through without it,” she said.

On Monday, Coursey was bumped up for Status 3 to Status 2 on the transplant list. The list ranges from 1 (most urgent) to 7 (least urgent). Hopefully, that change increases his odds of finding a match. There were a couple of possible matches already, but doctors decided they weren’t good enough matches. In one case, the donor heart was too large. A balloon pump has been put in to help Coursey’s heart in the interim.

Until a match is made, Coursey will keep fighting, knowing that he has the support of his family and his hometown behind him.