Hi my name is Sharon Hicks and I am trying to help Kevin Kees with some medical & travel expenses coming up in June for his trip to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. I am a dear friend of the family. Three years ago Kevin had heart surgery to correct a birth defect called Myocardial Bridge. An artery that was supposed to grow on the outside of his heart ♥️ grew through the inside of the heart and Dr.’s had to cut his heart open to free the trapped artery. Due to the all the trauma on the heart from the surgery he developed inflammation around the heart that hasn’t gone away to this day almost 3 years later despite numerous different medications and efforts to clear up the inflammation. He’s been on Prednisone since the operation in July of 2020 and that has also caused many other unwanted issues/complications, but it’s the only medication that seems to help keep the pain and inflammation at bay enough for him to have any semblance of a normal life.  Due to his post surgery complications Kevin hasn’t been able to work since the surgery three years ago and is living on savings which are quickly being drained. Before the surgery Kevin worked as a Pilot and also a Fireman in his free time. He rode mountain bikes and hiked and was very active in his late 40’s. For almost a year now he has been forced to give all that up and has not even been able to exercise due to the inflammation now getting worse around his heart which is causing some damage to the heart muscle. His Dr.‘s here in Baton Rouge have decided to send him to the Mayo Clinic in JAX, FL for further evaluation to see if anything else can be done, if there is maybe a new diagnosis for him, or a new procedure or treatment that will give Kevin a longer and happier life.

Kevin and his Mother will be leaving on June 13 to travel to the Mayo Clinic. We are asking everyone who reads this to first pray for him and his Dr.’s that he’ll be seeing in Jacksonville at the Clinic. We are asking for donations to help cover travel and accommodation expenses as well as any unforeseen medical expenses while at the Mayo Clinic. He will have to be there for close to a week, if not more, for initial testing and treatment if needed. Accommodations alone for his visit will cost anywhere from $1200-$1400 for the week, and maybe even more if they have to stay longer than a week if any procedures or further surgeries have to be done. We SO VERY much Appreciate any amount you can give to help Kevin with the trip to his Mayo Clinic visit next month!! Know that God will bless you. Kevin is only 51 years old and dearly wishes to get back to any normal semblance of the active life he was living before his heart ♥️ surgery three years ago. Thank you so much from Kevin, Corky his mother, and myself . I will provide updates next month once he is at the Mayo Clinic and the Dr.’s have started to figure things out more.