Community Corner

Heart 4 Janet: Benefit Set to Help Oak Forest Resident

Janet Ardnt has already had five open heart surgeries and now needs a new donor heart. She is on a waiting list at the Mayo Clinic, with mounting medical costs. Her friends and family are holding a fundraiser Sept. 28, to help Ardnt.

Longtime Oak Forest resdient Janet Ardnt has been fighting a lifelong battle.

Born with a heart defect, Ardnt has undergone five open heart surgeries and the resulting scar tissue has caused even more complications. Because of these complications, Janet now needs a new heart. However, the costs are mounting for Ardnt and her family, and now her friends and family are stepping in to help.

Some residents have even spotted Arndt's face on Kenootz pizza boxes, as a way to promote the upcoming Heart 4 Janet fundraiser. 

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The fundraiser planned in Ardnt's honor takes place Friday, Sept. 28, at 115 Bourbon Street. The benefit will feature an open bar, including beer and wine, food, a silent auction, raffles and more.

“This feels terrific for us, we're just trying to help,” said Cheryl Deske. “There's nothing else we could do, except help this way. … There's nothing else we can do, except to try and help.”

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Funds raised at the benefit will go the family, to offset the costs of Janet's medical care, which will be adminstered at the Mayo Clinic.

“They do have her on a transplant list, now we're just waiting,” said Deske. “They're hoping within six months.”

Once Ardnt's donor heart is found, she will have three hours to get from Oak Forest to the clinic, where she will undergo surgery. Once the surgery is completed, she will spend two weeks in the hospital and must then stay in the area for three months, to ensure that her body does not reject the donor heart.

In addition to medical bills piling up, Ardnt's husband recently lost his job after the company he worked for closed, Deske said. She added that the hopes are that the fundraiser will raise more than $100,000 to help the family.

“It is a incredible financial burden on them,” she said.

Tickets for the Heart 4 Janet event are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. More information about the event can be found at the Heart 4 Janet website.


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