Benefit to help Carpentersville man needing heart transplant

Carpentersville resident Bill Spence is in need of a heart transplant. His stepson is putting together a benefit to help with expenses.

The benefit will be held from 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Aug. 10, at Concord Place/Midwest Conference Center, 401 W. Lake St. in Northlake. They will have live bands, raffles, silent auctions, 50/50, cash bar, and light food. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.

Raffle tickets are $10 each or six for $50. Prizes will include a 60-inch LED TV, 42-inch LCD TV, a wine cooler, a sound bar and more. They are still looking for donations for both the raffle and silent auction.

At the young age of 59, William's heart is failing and cannot sustain life much longer. While the list for a heart transplant is long, and the wait could be years for one to become available, Loyola Hospital is going to install a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in his chest.

The LVAD is a continuously operating pump that will need to be powered by an external power source, being either a pair of large batteries or plugged into the wall.

Bill will likely spend three months in the hospital recovering from the surgery, which will have to be repeated when a transplant heart is found.

Bill and his wife Judy, who is also battling her own health issues, live in Carpentersville, which means an 80-mile round trip to the hospital each day.

Eric, their son, is holding a benefit to assist them in their time of need. Money raised from the benefit will help with needed updates for their home and to help with some of the financial hardship.

Any donations of any form would be greatly appreciated by the family. If you have any questions, please free free to contact Eric or Jan Stoke. Eric can be reached at P.O. Box 2196, Northlake, IL or Jan at jstokes1@sbcglobal.net.