<div>On Memorial Day 2026, my life changed forever.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I went to the emergency room believing I had kidney stones. Less than an hour later, I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>After undergoing a cardiac catheterization, doctors found something unexpected: I have 0% blockage in my coronary arteries. While that was good news, it also meant they couldn't identify a blocked artery or another obvious cause for my heart failure.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>I was ultimately diagnosed with end-stage congestive heart failure caused by severely reduced heart function.</strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My heart's Ejection Fraction (EF) - the percentage of blood my heart pumps with each beat - is only 15%. A normal EF is generally between 55% and 70%.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Because my heart pumps so little blood, simple everyday tasks that most people never think twice about - taking a shower, getting dressed, walking through a grocery store, carrying groceries, climbing stairs, or even making the bed - can feel like running a marathon. What used to be routine now requires careful planning, frequent breaks, and more energy than I often have.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I also experience "brain fog," a common symptom of advanced heart failure that can make it difficult to concentrate, cause forgetfulness, and leave me unable to think as clearly or quickly as I once did.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Every day is unpredictable. Some mornings I wake up feeling relatively okay. Other days I'm exhausted before I even get out of bed. That's the reality of living with advanced heart failure.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><strong>My doctors have told me that I will need either a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) or a heart transplant within the next 6 to 12 months in order to survive. </strong>
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>When I received this diagnosis, I didn't have health insurance. Unfortunately, I had gone without coverage because I simply couldn't afford the nearly $1,200 monthly premium for an ACA health insurance plan. It's a decision I deeply regret.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Since then, I've nearly exhausted my savings paying medical bills, and I currently have approximately $50,000 in additional medical expenses pending. While I'm hopeful that financial assistance programs will reduce some of those costs, I've still had to apply for help wherever possible. At the same time, I'm unable to work and have no income while I wait for my disability benefits to begin. To put that into perspective, I was billed $1,027.90 for a 2.9-mile ambulance ride and $559.00 for less that 5-minutes with my Cardiologist in the hospital.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>There is some good news. My health insurance becomes effective on August 1, and I am in the process of applying for Social Security Disability benefits. Unfortunately, because of the required waiting periods, I won't receive disability income for several months. Until then, I'm unable to work and currently have no source of income.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I've been fortunate to have experienced success in my life, and I've always believed in giving back. Over the years, I've donated to causes I believed in, established scholarships, and volunteered thousands of hours because helping others has always been important to me. I've never been comfortable asking for help, and if you know me personally, you know just how difficult it is for me to write these words.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>One of the things that has humbled me the most is how many people immediately offered to start a GoFundMe for me. Their kindness reminded me that I'm not facing this alone, especially during a time when so much about my future is uncertain. I ultimately decided to create it myself because I didn't want anyone else to have to shoulder the responsibility or deal with any potential financial or tax implications on my behalf.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Over the past several years, I've poured everything I had into building my business while also helping care for both of my parents. Every extra dollar I earned went toward building a future and supporting my family. I never imagined that I would suddenly be unable to work, unable to help care for my parents, and facing the reality that I will need an LVAD or heart transplant.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Today, I'm focusing all of my energy on staying alive, following my treatment plan, and giving myself the best possible chance at recovery.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Anyone who knows me knows how stubborn I am - I don't give up. I'm determined to keep fighting this disease with everything I have. With the right treatment and support, I hope to get back to being there for my family and, one day, establish a foundation dedicated to helping others facing the same battle. If I'm fortunate enough to get through this, I want to use my experience to make life a little easier for those who find themselves where I am today.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If you're able to help, no matter the amount, I will be deeply grateful. Your generosity will help ease the financial burden of medical expenses, insurance premiums, medications, travel to appointments, and everyday living expenses while I focus on fighting this disease and preparing for the road ahead.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If you're unable to donate, I completely understand. Simply sharing my story with your family, friends, and social networks would mean more to me than you know. Your prayers, encouragement, and support are just as appreciated.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Thank you for your kindness, your generosity, and for giving me hope during one of the most difficult times of my life. Every donation, every share, every prayer, and every word of encouragement reminds me that I'm not fighting this battle alone.
</div>

Rishi Barran

Jonathan Warycha

Ralph Lowery

Zach Goodchild

Anonymous

James Elliott

Alexandra Franco

Dylan Hacker

Julia Szwed

Joseph Giannone

Christian Gabela

Nicolette Gehrke

Vicki Oehm

Russ DeFonce

Mary Catherine Wickham

Maxx Bleecher

A Second Chance: My Heart Failure Journey

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Just $654$ to go! Make an impact.

A Second Chance: My Heart Failure Journey

Just $654 to go!
Make an impact.