Procedure needed right away; benefit is tonight

When Dan Hartman was a 6-year-old living in Albany, he had open heart surgery to correct his aortic stenosis, a heart problem that would continue to haunt him as an adult. Although the surgery helped Hartman lead a relatively normal life, his condition never allowed him to participate in things such as sports or heavy exercise. And he knew that someday, he’d probably need surgery again.

But he didn’t expect it to come so soon. Hartman, 23, had just quit his job to pursue his dreams of becoming a fulltime musician when he noticed a dramatic drop in his energy level.

Hartman, 23, was busy making a studio recording and lining up gigs, as well as helping plan his upcoming summer wedding to his girlfriend of two years, Michelle Hillsberry, and taking care of his infant daughter, Baily. A major medical problem was the last thing he needed, but the diagnosis was clear.

“I have an aneurism five-and-a-half centimeters wide at the base of my aortic valve,” Hartman said. The opening of the valve is deformed, and blood is being regurgitated back into the heart. Surgery is needed right away.

Hartman and Hillsberry have already had their share of troubles. In August 2006, Hillsberry’s mother passed away from breast cancer, and exactly a year later, her father died of a stroke. The unexpected tragedy shook the couple, but a small inheritance allowed Hartman to quit his job and start pursuing his music career. Hillsberry was already off work to take care of their new baby.

“What do we do? We have no insurance, we don’t have any real funds to pay for a big operation,” she said. “Here we are trying to plan a wedding and take care of the family, it’s just been absolute craziness.”

To help raise money for Hartman’s surgery, he and several other fellow musicians will perform a benefit concert tonight at LaSells Stewart Center.

While waiting to go in for surgery, Hartman has to remain calm and not do anything that will raise his heart rate. Luckily, he says, he’s a pretty mellow guy, and playing music (he describes his acoustic guitar style as “John Mayer-esque”) helps to keep him feeling peaceful. Samples of his music are available online at www.myspace.com/danhartman.

“It brings me to a whole other place,” he said. “It’s what I love to do. Besides my family, it’s my other everything.”

His surgery is scheduled for April 16, and it will take him six months to recover enough to work again.

But with a 95 percent success rate — and the skills of top heart surgeons from Oregon Health and Sciences University — Hartman is confident that his health will improve and life will be more normal after surgery.

“My entire life they told me I couldn’t play sports, and I could never run, or work out extensively,” he said. “And after it’s all said and done, I’ll actually get to do all the things I was never able to do my entire life.”

In the near future, however, he’s looking forward to his wedding, which will take place July 16. It’s the anniversary of Hillsberry’s parents wedding.

If you go:

The Dan Hartman benefit show takes place at 7 p.m. tonight at LaSells Stewart Center. The event will include performances by Nathan Christianson, Logan Martin and Paul Wright, all Christian rock musicians, as well as Hartman. Admission is a suggested $5 donation for adults.

Who: Dan Hartman, 23

What: Musician

Hometown: Albany, now living in Corvallis

Family: Fiancee, Michelle Hillsberry, 24, daughter, Baily Hartman, 9 months

Wedding set for: July 16, 2008, in Portland

Biggest wish: To be able to run without endangering his heart