St. Charles woman hopes community will have a heart for ailing son-in-law

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A fundraiser is planned for the family of Ed Platis, who was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2008. He smiles here with his wife, Jackie. | Submitted photo

Updated: July 3, 2011 2:30AM

ST. CHARLES — In 2008, Ed Platis was 28 years old. He was just married. He and his wife, Jackie, had just bought a fixer-upper in Elmwood Park that had been in his family for nearly 100 years.

He was just licensed as a plumber and so strong that his mother-in-law, Donna Stachnik of St. Charles, said she’d seen him pick up a bathtub and carry it off by himself.

“We’d call him the gentle giant. He didn’t have any temper, but he was just a big, lovable guy,” Stachnik said.

That also was the year he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.

Platis’ health took a turn for the worse this year, and friends and family from around the area have rallied to help the couple, planning a fundraiser for Platis’ medical expenses at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at St. Charles Bowl, 2520 W. Main St.

“People have been so good to us. So many have been moved,” Stachnik said. “Come on: These kids need a break. It’s hard enough to make it as newlyweds now without the trials they’ve been through.”

Four months after his wedding, Platis said, he saw doctor about a constant cough and was diagnosed him with congestive heart failure. A failing heart eventually can become so weak it cannot pump enough blood to vital organs, causing organ failure and death.

But doctors started him on drug therapy, and he was confident the treatment would work. He and Jackie, both St. Charles-area natives, went ahead and bought a house.

The couple knew the bungalow would need work — but nobody knew how much until they started.

“They would open up walls and find out there were bare walls in there. The floors were collapsing. It was like that movie ‘The Money Pit,’” Stachnik said.

And Platis’ health continued to decline. He was sleeping 16 to 18 hours a day, unable to work, in and out of the hospital, unable to stay in his new home because of the dust from the construction environment, he said.

“I ended up having three surgeries that were really wrong for me,” Platis said. “I was really close to death.”

Doctors put a pacemaker and defibrillator in his heart in January, then attached a Left Ventricular Assist Device to his heart when his liver began to fail in March. He is now No. 8 on the list for a heart transplant, he said.

He and his wife have lived off and on with Jackie’s parents in St. Charles to avoid the dust because of his health, he added.

“But who wants to live with their in-laws?” Stachnik said.

“I love them dearly. He’s like a son to us. But they need their own place. They deserve everything any other couple their age should have, like starting a family, not finding a heart.”

That’s why Stachnik said family, friends and even some complete strangers who have heard Platis’ story have pulled together to throw the fundraiser and raffle at St. Charles Bowl. They’ve also launched a website: HaveAHeartForEd.org. And on Tuesdays through the month of July, Liquor ‘n’ Wine will donate 5 percent of the sales at its St. Charles and Geneva stores.

Stachnik said she hopes that not only will they be able to raise money to defray the cost of Platis’ medical expenses, but also find contractors to donate services and materials to make the couple’s house livable.

“It’s been — the last couple years haven’t been too great, but we’re getting through it,” Platis said.

“I’ve got a really good family. My wife has a really good family. We have a lot of friends. That makes it a lot easier. Everybody’s helping us out, and I think we’ll be alright.”