My name is Douglas Ferguson. I am 46 years old Married with 3 children and 2 stepchildren,I’m a veteran, a police officer, and a small business owner in landscaping. For most of my life, I believed I was a healthy and hardworking man. As a police officer, I went through yearly stress tests and physicals, all of which came back clear. I never imagined that anything was wrong with my heart.

That changed on August 4, 2025, when I suffered a heart attack. Just two weeks later, on August 20, I underwent open-heart surgery. My doctors told me something I never expected to hear—that I had inherited severe heart disease connected to my late father’s exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. My father, Douglas Allen Ferguson Sr., passed away in 2012 from complications tied to Agent Orange. Until my heart attack, I had no idea I carried this burden too.

The doctor explained that my heart looked like that of an 80-year-old man with three decades of diabetes. Hearing that was a shock, especially after years of clean health checks. It completely turned my world upside down.

Now, while I recover, I am unable to work my landscaping business, which has always helped provide for my family. Unfortunately, the bills for both my home and my business are piling up quickly, and it has been extremely difficult to keep up.

I have always been someone who worked hard, served my community, and supported my family. This health crisis has left me in a position I never thought I’d be in—having to ask for help. Any support during this time would mean the world to me as I work toward recovery and try to get back on my feet