Help a Heart in Need

Hi, my name is Mark Stevens, and I live in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. I am a 54-year-old man and was the father of two children. My son Jorian works for the Army Reserve, but my beautiful baby girl, Tori, passed away at 22 in 2018. I was consumed with depression after her death, and within the next year, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 congestive heart failure.

Fortunately, I was able to get placed on a donor waiting list to receive a heart transplant. I had been waiting two years when my wife — who held our medical insurance policy in her name — quit her nursing job and decided to divorce me in the same week. She replaced me with another man just two weeks later.

The last two months, I’ve wondered if I can even keep going on. My work is highly labor intensive, and as I install marble and granite countertops and bathrooms for hotels and businesses, my heart is literally giving out. Some days I can barely take in a full breath from the pain in my chest.

I cannot qualify for a heart transplant without medical insurance. While preventing a person from purchasing insurance with a pre-existing condition is illegal, it’s not unlawful to cancel that person’s insurance or “drop them” after only a few weeks of coverage. Two carriers have already dropped me since my wife initiated the divorce three months ago.

As a last-ditch effort, my niece recently suggested I start a GoFundMe page to hopefully raise enough funds to pay for my heart transplant out of pocket. I am not someone who readily asks for help, but I truly feel this is my last option. I am counting on the sincere, good hearts out there to help raise the money necessary for this medical procedure. I know this is a hard time for everyone, but if you can, please help, this is my last hope.

Sincerely,

-Mark Stevens