My name is Gabriel, and I’m writing this with a full heart. I never imagined I would be here, asking everyone for help.

I am 31 years old, married to my high school sweetheart Jane, and the father of two incredible boys — Luca (4) and Malachi (2). My entire life revolves around being their husband and dad.

For the past 16 years, I have lived with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. I worked hard, built a career, supported my family, and refused to let my heart condition define me.

I started having unusual symptoms in January 2025, and I went to see a pulmonologist and cardiologist. Despite having about 20 appointments with this medical team in 2025, they missed a diagnosis of pulmonary edema. My symptoms were worsening all year long to the point I started coughing blood. On Christmas Day 2025, I went to Emory University Hospital, where they diagnosed me with pulmonary edema, a symptom of congestive heart failure. They told me my heart was in volume overload for the last year and permanent damage had been done to my heart. If it was addressed right away, they could have prevented the damage. They drew the analogy of my heart being like a 6-cylinder car engine and said I am down to 1. I was put on medication to help strengthen my heart over the next 4 months. Unfortunately, on April 22nd, 2026, the cardiologist told me that without a heart transplant, I have one to two years left to live.

I work two jobs; one at a software company and another as a mortgage loan officer. I am the sole breadwinner for our family, and I am exhausted in a way that is hard to describe; not just from the hours, but from the symptoms of congestive heart failure that make every shift harder than the last. Shortness of breath, fatigue, and the emotional weight of this diagnosis make continuing at this pace unsustainable if I am going to survive long enough for a transplant. I’m not sure my boys will even remember me unless I get more time.

The one thing that would allow me to work less, to rest, to focus on my health, to actually fight for the transplant I need is if our mortgage were paid off. We have $375,000 remaining. That number feels impossible to say out loud. But if our home were paid off, my wife and our boys would have security and stability no matter what happens to me. And I would have the breathing room, literally and figuratively, to focus on staying alive.

I am asking for the chance to spend this time present with my family instead of running myself into the ground while my heart fails.

If you feel led to give, I thank you wholeheartedly. If you cannot give, sharing this fundraiser means more than you know- thank you.

I trust whatever happens will bring Glory to God and bring peace to my family.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

- Isaiah 41:10