Hello GoFundMe family,

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. My name is Kathryn and I am fundraising for my husband Josh. Josh is 35 years old and has a heart condition called Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. He has had this condition since birth and we've only recently discovered the severity and the impact it has on his life. This condition causes reduced blood flow from the heart with the smallest amount of physical activity. He suffers from shortness of breath, chest pains, dizzy spells, and risk of heart attack. So many times in our lives he has felt lazy because he couldn't work out. He felt guilty because he could't go hiking with me or run with our kids. We had no idea that these were all due to a condition that was out of his control. We have 6 kids and not being able to participate in their lives the way he wants is horribly difficult for him. He is so young and the thought of him having to live the rest of his life in this way breaks my heart.

Fortunately there is hope. He is scheduled to have open heart surgery on September 1st to possibly cure this condition so he can gain some quality of life. The surgery is expected to cost over $200k. In addition is the cost of traveling to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, staying for a minimum of two weeks, rental house and car, and all the costs related to being there. He will be unable to work for at least 12 weeks and more than likely, diminished abilities for months after that. Thankfully we have decent health insurance but will still face substantial out of pocket costs.

This request is difficult to write because I know that there are so many families that are much worst off than us. But I do know how even the smallest bit of help from a lot of caring individuals can make a huge impact. I've donated to GoFundMe families in the past and now I'm asking for help from this amazing community of individuals.

I hope you are able to help in any way possible. It has been a difficult few years for us all but we get through the hard times by supporting one another when we can and humbling ourselves to ask for help when we need it.

Thank you so much and blessings to you all,

Kathryn