This is my brother and sister-in-law, Matthew and Makenzie Renbarger. These two are high school sweethearts. They started dating in middle school and have now been married for one whole year. In March, they will be celebrating their 13th year of being together. They’ve been each other's other halves for literally half of their lives. They have the kind of love story you typically only see in movies. Unfortunately, all love stories have hardships. This, however, is something neither Matthew nor Makenzie could have ever anticipated.

Matthew has been in and out of the hospital since December of 2024. From December 16th to now, the hospital has been his home. He had open-heart surgery on Friday, January 10, 2025, at only 26 years old. He had a mechanical mitral valve replacement. The surgeon wanted to repair his mitral valve, but the damage was too severe to save. He was cut down the middle of his chest, put on a bypass machine, ribs cracked to get to the heart, and given his mechanical valve replacement. This was a major procedure that took half the day, but it went as well as we could have hoped.

Prior to the procedure, Matthew has been fighting off infections. He had a really bad kidney infection that is better now. He had sepsis. He went into septic shock, which caused him to have hallucinations and become delirious. He’s been fighting MRSA. His battle now is Endocarditis. His surgeon had to consult with Infection Control, and they ultimately decided after a lot of back and forth that it was better in his case to have open-heart surgery sooner rather than later.

Matthew is currently still hospitalized. He had his pacemaker wires, tube in his neck, and two chest tubes removed yesterday evening. He currently still has two chest tubes in him. I won’t go into too much graphic detail. He is in a lot of pain, but each day is looking better. He has started physical and occupational therapy while in the hospital. He is looking at a long road of recovery. If things go their way, he’ll be able to be discharged in the near future. Matthew will, however, still have to take lifelong medications, receive treatments at a clinic, and undergo cardio therapy for rehab three times a week.

My brother is currently unable to work and won’t be able to anytime soon. His wife is taking as much time as she can away from work to be with him. If anyone is able to help support them financially with any of his medical bills or treatments during this hard time, or even send prayers their way, either is greatly appreciated.

My brother is known for taking care of others. He has always been a giver, not a receiver; anyone who knows him can attest to that. Matthew has always gone above and beyond for the ones he loves. He’s the one person our entire family has always come running to. He’s the heart of our family.

My brother and sister-in-law are two of the most kindhearted, loving people I’ve had the privilege of knowing. This last month has been incredibly hard on them. Thank you for keeping two of my favorite people in your thoughts and prayers. We’re continuously praying for better days, and I will continue to update his condition as time moves forward. Thank you to those who are able to donate or help in any way!