Some friends and I have started this page in support of Nate Lentz and Mercedes Plaza.

On October 26, 2025, while helping Mercedes' dad move into their house, our friend Nate picked up a heavy piece of furniture and felt a pop in his chest. It felt to him like someone was punching him in the throat. He complained to Mercedes later that night of intense heartburn. She woke up and found him the next morning on the bathroom floor suffering a seizure. She drove him to the local hospital, and after tests, the doctors determined he had an aortic dissection (hole in his heart) that was filling his chest with blood.

He was airlifted to Duluth, MN, where doctors performed open-heart surgery. Mercedes, driving down to meet him, ended up in an accident that totaled their truck. She escaped with minor injuries, and thankfully Nate survived the surgery but was diagnosed with acute kidney failure.

He also suffered a series of strokes leading to respiratory failure, a shocked liver, and anemia. After 17 days in the hospital, he was released but now has ongoing dialysis three times per week. Mercedes is no longer working so she can care for Nate 24-7. Nate is restricted from working due to physical and cognitive impairment. The family now has a transportation crisis. Because their vehicle was totaled, Mercedes' dad (Rod) stepped in to drive Nate to dialysis. However, on a trip to the clinic, Rod hit a deer, and the car engine burst into flames. They both luckily escaped unharmed, but now the family is down two vehicles.

They're facing the loss of two incomes, mounting medical expenses, the cost of arranging transportation for dialysis and medical appointments, and the expense of coordinating all of Nate's rehabilitation and ongoing care needs at home. They also need to replace his truck. His healing process will take a minimum of three months of movement restrictions and additional time to fully recover from the effects of his strokes, and hopefully regain full kidney function.

In the spirit of love and support, we've created this GoFundMe page. We have consulted with Nate and Mercedes about starting this fund, and though they are proud people, they truly need help at this critical point in their lives. The stress on the family is intense; they're exhausted and out of options.

I know this time of year is hard for everyone, and it's an especially challenging time to cope with so much upheaval. Nate is doing the best that he can, but he tires easily, and dialysis appointments are exhausting.

We hope that with the support of our friends, our networks, and some kind people that Nate and Mercedes may not have met yet, we can help them through this difficult period.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to their story. Any donation, no matter how small, will help make an impact. Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause, which means so much to all of us who are friends of Nate and Mercedes.