Patient Comes Home With New Heart, Old Vows

Jeff Litoff, the Newbury Park man whose need for an expensive heart transplant almost cost him his marriage, came home Tuesday night with a new heart and his marriage intact.

Because his private insurance company would pay only $50,000 a year in medical expenses, Litoff and his wife, Rosemarie, considered a divorce so that Litoff could declare himself indigent and receive MediCal benefits. The cost of a transplant and associated expenses could be as much as $200,000.

But after the Organ Transplant Fund, a Tennessee-based nonprofit group, agreed to guarantee the cost of the surgery, Litoff was given a new heart last week at UCLA Medical Center.

On Tuesday, doctors at UCLA reviewed a biopsy of Litoff’s new heart and told him he could go home, with the caution that he take it easy for the next 30 days. He can’t go to restaurants or movies, although he can go outside and get a little exercise.

“We’ll rent a lot of videos,” Rosemarie Litoff said.

She added that the couple won’t be able to attend the many fund-raising events planned for them, at least not for the next month. Jeff Litoff can’t be exposed to colds or other common maladies because the medications he will take will suppress his immune system.

“We won’t be there, but we’ll be thinking about everybody,” Rosemarie Litoff said.

The fund-raisers are crucial, she said. The couple remains far short of the money they need to pay for the transplant, despite the guarantee from the Organ Transplant Fund.

“We’re stuck here with a huge bill now,” she said.

Friends have organized a pancake breakfast for Feb. 25 in the parking lot of Miracle Appliance Parts, 668 Thousand Oaks Blvd. Tickets are $5 each. For information, call Larry Friedman at 499-4053.

Also, a number of area restaurants have agreed to donate part of their proceeds. When diners mention Jeff Litoff’s name on designated days, Hiyama Japanese Restaurant, Wood Ranch BBQ in Agoura Hills, Baskin-Robbins, Stella’s, Manny’s Original Mexican Grill and Le Rendezvous will donate part of their proceeds to the fund. For a calendar of days at each restaurant, contact Gary Seigel at 499-4664.

Lamppost Pizza, Sizzler in Newbury Park and Domino’s Pizza will also make donations with the presentation of coupons. Contact Seigel for coupons.

Donations also may be made directly to the Organ Transplant Fund Inc., P.O. Box 766, Newbury Park, CA 91319-0766