Open Heart Surgery

My cousin Sean is 23 years old. Not only is he family, but he happens to be one of my best friends. Sean was born with a heart defect. He had his first cardiac catheterization at 18 months and his second cardiac catheterization at 12 years old. This procedure caused his aortic valve to leak more and ultimately led to open heart surgery, where Sean had to have a new prosthetic valve put in on 8/11/2008. Not only did this leave a gigantic(bad ass) scar, it left Sean with a lifetime having to take Coumadin, a medication to help thin his blood. Because of this the doctors told him he could not participate in sports. It also led to regular MD visits at CHOP and UPENN to ensure everything was working as planned. For 10 years there were little to no complications. Unfortunately, at Sean's most recent check up this was not the case. He received his routine blood work and MRI only to find out that he has a thymoma in his chest. To keep a long story short and medical terminology to a minimum, Sean is now scheduled to have a second open heart surgery on 9/10/2018. At that time, a team of surgeons will remove the tumor for further evaluation. This will determine whether or not he will require radiation. The recovery time is a minimum 6 weeks. 6 weeks of no school (Sean attended West Chester University and is currently a student at Penn State) and 6 weeks of no work. 6 weeks of no income. If radiation is needed, 6 weeks could turn into many more. And while the cash flow stops, the bills do not. You can imagine how difficult this would be for anyone, let alone a 23 year old young man who has only had the support of one parent for God knows how long. Anyone who knows Sean knows he has the biggest heart ever. He is a loyal, hardworking and kind young man who loves making others laugh. He would do anything for his family, which is why I want to take the time to do something for him.  The world has tried its best to push Sean down numerous times, but every time the world pushes him down, he gets back up. I'm asking that you please make this time a little easier on Sean and his family.