Dear Mary:

No, a Heroic Act of Charity applies to those in purgatory. The definition of a Heroic Act of Charity from Father Hardon's Catholic Dictionary is:

An act of charity by which a person offers to God, for the benefit of the souls in purgatory, all the works of satisfaction he will perform during life, and all the suffrage that will come to him after death. It is not a vow but an offering that can be revoked at will. Its heroism consists in the readiness to undergo sufferings here and in purgatory in order to relieve others of their purgatorial pains.

The things you can do for a person include:

1. offering your intentions in Mass
2. placing this person on prayer lists and chains
3. offering your own personal prayers
4. saying spiritual warfare prayers
5. offering up acts of mortification for him
6. offering up your suffering for him

The last three many may not think about.

Concerning #4: Spiritual Warfare prayers for a person in a situation like you describe could include: Prayer for a Friend, and the Hedge Prayer for Return of a Wayward Person.

Concerning #5: You could specifically perform acts of mortification (fastings, abstinances, sacrifices) and offer up to God the graces that come from that for the soul of your friend.

Concerning #6: You can offer up to God your sufferings in general, or specifically if you suffer from an illness, for the intention of your friend's soul.

If a person does #5 or #6 then they cannot make a Heroic Act of Charity because to make a Heroic Act is to offer up ALL our sufferings in this life (and in purgatory) for those in purgatory.

While doing #5 and #6 may not be technically an "Heroic" Act of Charity, it is certainly a admirable act of charity.

God bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary