Kelchen stays strong awaiting heart transplant

     The Monticello community is pulling for 31-year-old Travis Kelchen as he waits for a heart transplant.

     Travis is currently at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He was placed on the heart transplant list on April 5. Travis falls under tier 2, with tier 1 being the most urgent.

     “He’s hooked up to an ECMO machine that assists the right side of his heart to pump blood to his other organs,” explained Travis’ mom, Shelly. “His heart is still working.”

     Travis was born with ebstein anomaly. This means he has a defective valve in his heart that does not help in separating the oxygenated blood from the de-oxygenated blood.

     “It pumps blood and sucks it back in,” said Shelly. “It doesn’t get out to his other organs.”

     Since he was born until the age of 15, Travis has had to go to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for checkups to make sure everything in his heart is working properly. Shelly said when he was 15, he had a minor leak in his heart because it continued to grow.

     As Travis’ sister Nicole Reyner describes it, “I always knew my brother had a big heart. Medically, his heart is almost 10 times the size of a normal heart.”

     Shelly confirmed that, yes, Travis does have a large heart, which has caused him to tire out easily, a common side effect. But after the age of 15, he never really experienced any major issues with this heart.

     “His heart just pumps faster,” Shelly said.

     Travis has been working full-time at Theisen’s in Monticello for quite some time. Customers always looked forward to seeing Travis when they stopped into the store, taking the time to visit with him.

     When COVID-19 hit, the store implemented the use of face coverings (masks and shields), like every other business. Shelly said Travis started having issues wearing a mask, so he switched to a shield, thinking it wouldn’t be so restrictive. By December 2020, “something was going on,” she said.

     Shelly and Ron, Travis’ parents, took him to UnityPoint Health for blood work. He was referred to a cardiologist in Cedar Rapids for extensive testing. From there, the family was told to take Travis to the Mayo Clinic.

     “There was a little more going on,” Shelly indicated of their initial visits in February. “He underwent so many tests. You name it; they did it.”

     While at Mayo, the family met with a doctor who specializes in cases such as Travis’, those with ebstein.

     “We hoped they could just replace the valve (in his heart),” Shelly said. “But because his heart is so big, they were afraid he wouldn’t make it through the surgery.”

     For that reason, Travis remains on the heart transplant list…

     On March 23, Travis underwent a procedure where doctors inserted a camera to check the pressure of his heart.

     “His heart didn’t like that,” Shelly said of the complications. “His heart rate went sky high and he was unresponsive for a bit. They had to shock him.”

     That’s when Travis was fully admitted to Mayo and placed under the control of the ECMO machine.

     Ron and Shelly were a half hour away from the Mayo Clinic when they got the phone call about Travis’ complications with the camera procedure.

     “They called us and we turned around and went back,” she recalled.

     Shelly said Travis continues to hold his own.

     “He feels a lot better and the oxygen gets to where it needs to be with the ECMO,” she said.

     The hospital staff have Travis up and walking several days a week to keep his energized. He has a nurse by his side 24/7 due to the ECMO machine. He’s also lifting 3- to 4-pound weights to keep his muscles healthy before the surgery.

     “He’s healthy,” Shelly said. “Everything is good but his heart.”

     She said he accepts his condition, and really just wants to get home and be outside.

     “He’s going crazy,” she said. “He keeps asking his doctor when he can go back to work. They told him it’ll be a long recovery.”

     Ron and Shelly make the 3-hour and 15-minute trip to Rochester twice a week to see Travis. They stay in a hotel that offers discounts for family members of patients at the Mayo. He’s also been visited by other family members as well, and received numerous phone calls from close friends and loyal Theisen’s customers.

     “He can only have two people per visit,” offered Shelly.

     When it comes to finding a perfect match for Travis’ heart, there are several factors to consider. The biggest are body tissue and blood type. Other factors include: body size and the age of the donor.

     Travis’ name is on the central region transplant registry, which serves the Mayo Clinic. Shelly said doctors were confident they could find a match within the region.

     “If they have to go further out, they will,” she said.

     The Kelchen family has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from the Monticello community and beyond.

     “It’s unbelievable,” remarked Shelly.

     Travis receives numerous cards and gifts on a weekly basis. He even received a card with a donation inside from Utah (a relative of someone in Monticello).

     After Travis receives the transplant, he’ll have to remain at Mayo for another three months for monitoring.

     “That’s a critical timeframe to see whether his body rejects the heart,” said Shelly. “He’ll be on anti-rejection medication for the rest of his life.”

     There are several ways to keep in touch with Travis and to donate toward the family’s medical expenses. Cards can be sent to: Travis Kelchen, Mayo Clinic Hospital, St. Mary’s Campus, Mary Brigh 5G, 1216 Second St. S.W., Rochester, MN 55905.

     There is also a Facebook fund set up, courtesy of Travis’ aunt. Locally, you can also donate to the “Travis Kelchen Benefit” at Citizens State Bank in Monticello.