MAN'S DEATH SURPRISES LOVED ONES.Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer He had spent years battling heart disease and earlier this year had undergone a heart transplant heart transplant Procedure to remove a diseased heart and replace it with a healthy one from a legally dead donor. The first was performed in 1967 by Christiaan Barnard. , but family and friends still were caught off guard by Jeff Litoff's sudden death over the weekend. Hundreds of loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl and friends turned out at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village Tuesday to remember the 50-year-old Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. man who had received the heart of a 27-year-old woman in January to replace his own failing organ. ``It was not expected,'' family friend Marilyn Singer said Tuesday. Litoff died at home at 6:50 a.m. Saturday, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Pierce Brothers funeral director Tim Griffin. He said he could not reveal the precise cause of death. Singer said Litoff's wife, Rosemarie, was not taking telephone calls Tuesday afternoon. ``She's hanging in there,'' Singer said. ``Rosemarie is a very strong lady, she's hanging in there and she has a lot of family and friends supporting her.'' Litoff, an appliance repairman re·pair·man n. A man whose occupation is making repairs. Noun 1. repairman - a skilled worker whose job is to repair things maintenance man, service man , developed heart problems several years ago that he attributed to family medical history and eating too many fatty foods. He suffered a severe heart attack in 1991 while awaiting test results after experiencing chest pains. At that time doctors discovered earlier damage from undetected heart attacks. On Jan. 30 he underwent heart transplant surgery at UCLA Medical Center UCLA Medical Center is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. It is rated as one of the top three hospitals in the United States and is the top hospital on the West Coast according to US News & World Report. . About 200 people attended Tuesday's service and burial, according to Griffin. The family still faces thousands of dollars in unpaid medical bills and friends are accepting donations to help defray de·fray tr.v. de·frayed, de·fray·ing, de·frays To undertake the payment of (costs or expenses); pay. [French défrayer, from Old French desfrayer : des-, those costs. ``It was our goal to raise $200,000, and we're just shy of half that goal,'' Singer said. HOW TO HELP The family of Jeffrey Litoff still faces thousands of dollars in unpaid medical bills. Donations can still be sent to the Organ Transplant Fund, Friends of Jeffrey P. Litoff, P.O. Box 766, Newbury Park, Calif. 91320-0766. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box Photo: Jeff Litoff Received heart in January Box: HOWTO HELP (See text) |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion