James is a 36 year old father of 5, who was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in March of 2021. Over the past two years, his health has continued to decline and his heart failure has caused his liver to completely shut down. We have been referred to UCLA for a liver transplant assessment for the 22nd of January which in itself is challenging, but with the irreversible right sided heart failure James experienced, he will eventually need a heart transplant as well. We are taking it one step at a time and trying to stabilize him the best we can before he will be eligible to be assessed for a new heart. This referral has given us a glimpse of hope, but also presented a new set of obstacles to figure out. Our family of five is already struggling to make ends meet on just mom’s income alone but the trips back and forth to UCLA and the expenses that come along with it are unimaginably overwhelming to even think about. After rent is paid, money is scarce for food and utilities but somehow barely manage to make ends meet. We are trying our hardest to ensure our kids aren’t deeply affected by our circumstances and still get to experience the joy of the upcoming holidays. As we prepare for this critical assessment, we hope to at least be able to keep our kids healthy and happy with the budget at hand. We stay hopeful that James gets the opportunity to keep experiencing life and continue to watch his kids grow.