Help Antwan Recover After Emergency Heart Surgery

Dear friends and community,

We’re reaching out during a difficult time to ask for your support. Antwan, a kind and resilient soul, needs to undergo an urgent valve replacement surgery in the coming week. The procedure, known as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) will replace his damaged valve with a biological one.

Antwan’s journey has been anything but easy. As a teenager, he faced estrangement from his family simply for being a gay youth. It was rough and Antwan suffered with suic*dal idation from lack of adult supervision and care. Despite the circumstances, he found his footing and built a life with the chosen family he gathered along the way. I was fortunate to reconnect with him during those challenging years, and our bond has only grown stronger since.

Now in his early 40s, Antwan is in his final semesters as a grad student for school counseling. Determined to give back to the community that has shaped him, he is studying to do work that positively influences the lives of children. The sudden need for this surgery has caught us off guard. Given his age, it’s not something we imagined we’d have to prepare for.

Antwan has always been incredibly self-reliant, but the truth is, no one can do it alone. We’re asking for your help to ease the financial burden of his medical bills, recovery supplies, lost income from four months time off work, and potential emergency travel for a loved one to support his healing. Your contribution, no matter the size, will make a tremendous difference in his recovery.

We’re hopeful for a smooth surgery and expect Antwan to be back on his feet and fully recovered in a couple of months. Your generosity will help ensure he can focus on healing and return to the work he’s so passionate about.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting my cousin. Antwan deserves all the love and kindness this world has to offer, and we are endlessly grateful for any help you can provide.

 With deep gratitude,

 Keidera <3