On Thursday, July 31, our world as we knew it suddenly changed.

As the owner of a small but successful auto repair shop here in Gainesville, FL, my husband, Joey, pushes himself hard every day to take care of his customers, friends, and family, even if that means putting off his own needs.

During the 4th of July weekend, while doing yard work, Joey got a splinter from a palm tree in his leg. He didn’t think anything of it and continued working, even as his leg became infected and wasn’t healing. He visited the doctor and started antibiotics. He started complaining of shortness of breath about 7 days into the medicine cycle and assumed it was due to the medicine and working all day in a hot shop.

A couple of days after that, he decided to have a follow-up. After seeing the doctor and telling him his symptoms, the doctor immediately sprung into action. Within 30 minutes, Joey was heading by ambulance to the ER. Diagnosis? An active heart attack and signs of heart failure. A trip to the cath lab confirmed our worst fears. Multiple blockages with only 10% function on the left side of his heart. The only option presented to us was open heart surgery. If it wasn’t for that splinter, Joey never would have gone into the doctor and things could have ended tragically.

We lost our medical insurance within the past year and had not found another option before this happened. We are now facing massive medical costs for his life-saving surgery, as well as future financial debts for his recovery and follow-up medications and treatments.

Joey, as the heart and soul of our business, will be out several months, and until he can return, I have to work the hardest I can to keep our business and household going.

If you know Joey and me, we are never ones to ask for help, and doing this now is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Wendy Wilson