Kelowna Musician Receives Heart Transplant, and $21K in Community Support

UPDATE: Michael Garding had surgery and was given a new heart, but doctors reportedly decided to wait to do the kidney transplant.

Garding has been recovering in hospital after the major surgery.

Original Story:

A local musician is recovering from major surgery, with the support of the Kelowna community.

Michael Garding, who owns Omus Band Instrument Repair, has been in and out of the hospital for months, waiting to get surgery to save his life.

Finally, on February 3^rd, he was placed on the heart and kidney transplant list.

“It could happen at any time...maybe tomorrow, maybe a year from now. Now we play the final waiting game. I am both ecstatic and anxious at the same time. This is a real game changer!” Garding wrote on Facebook, after finding out.

Just a couple weeks later, they received even more good news: there was a heart and kidney ready for him.

On February 20^th, at 7 p.m., Garding was taken into the operating room.

“Altogether, it may take 8-10 hours. I am very excited and incredibly grateful for the gift that someone has given me,” he wrote, just prior to his surgery.

Garding spent much of the last six months at St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver.

He had had surgery to have a cardiac assist device (LVAD) installed, an external pump that keeps people waiting for a transplant alive.

At the time, Garding’s health had gotten so poor that he didn’t qualify for a transplant. Doctors hoped the device would help, and it did.

He went through months of rehabilitation with his wife Val by his side.

The whole incident put a financial strain on the family, and Garding’s family and friends created a GoFundMe page in support.

“Their bills, home mortgage payments, and overhead and expenses for Michael's business will continue to mount even as their income is reduced to zero,” the page reads. “Any help that you can provide, large or small, will go a long way toward helping Michael and Val get through this tough time.”

Garding’s cousin Nick set up a trust fund, where all the donations have been placed.

So far, over $21,000 has been gathered by 110 people.

Besides the online fundraiser, there is also a community event coming up to help the family out.

“An Evening of Jazz for Michael Garding at the Vernon Jazz Club, at 3000 - 31st Street, will be held on Saturday February 27^th at 8 p.m. Cash donations to the GoFundMe page will be accepted as admission.