“If you were told tomorrow that you needed to move to a foreign country to have a life-saving operation, could you afford to lose your job and your insurance coverage?”

So reads the plea for donations from the Bermuda Heart Foundation for Garry Dill, a local father of four suffering from congestive heart failure in desperate need of a heart transplant.

But in order to become eligible for a heart transplant, Mr Dill and his family need to move abroad, something the Dills are not financially able to afford considering Mr Dill would have to leave behind his job and his insurance.

This Saturday the Dill family, along with the ‘Windrush Group’ — a group of family and friends of the Dills, including local DJ ‘Mr English’ — will be hosting a fundraiser at the Reid Street salon ‘Polished’, where they hope to attract a large crowd of potential backers by offering free food, a raffle, an auction, as well as a multitude of DJ’s who will be playing their music throughout the event, which begins at 8pm.

“Garry Dill, a husband, father of four, and an upstanding citizen of our community, finds himself caught on the rock between life and death and the lack of financial support is sealing his fate,” said Simone Barton, CEO of the Bermuda Heart Foundation.

“The challenge this family faces is monumental. The funds needed to cover the procedures necessary for him to survive are estimated to be $1.5 million.”

The Heart Foundation, in an effort to raise at least $750,000 in the next two months, are now accepting corporate donations on behalf of the Dill family

Ms Barton said that donations can be made via check payable to the Bermuda Heart Foundation and sent to the foundation’s mailing address, or directly into the Garry Dill Heart Foundation HSBC, account # 010-791689-011.

“We as a community cannot sit back and watch this man die because of lack of funding and physical proximity to lifesaving healthcare,” said Ms Barton.

“We ask that you have the heart to save a heart for Garry. Heart related illnesses are still the top killer worldwide. Let’s make sure Garry Dill does not become a part of that statistic. Help us save his life. Thank you wholeheartedly for your consideration.”

Other contributors to the fundraising event include Gosling’s Limited, Digicel, Trott & Duncan Limited, Butterfield & Valis, Smart Security, Muse wine bar and restaurant, Polished The Salon and Lindo’s.

The minimum donation for the fundraiser will be $10. ‘Polished’ is located directly above the store ‘Down to Earth’ on Reid Street.