Hey y’all —

Never thought I’d be making one of these for myself, but here we are.

Some of you know that 6 years ago, I was diagnosed with IGA Nephropathy, a kidney disease. For a while, things stayed pretty steady… until this past February. On move-in day for my wife and me — to our very first home, no less — I went to urgent care for what I thought was just a stomach issue. Blood work came back with news I never expected: I now had End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).

I started dialysis on my birthday in June (talk about timing!) and I’m now on the deceased donor kidney transplant list, hoping a living donor might come through. The past few months have been a whirlwind — 2 surgeries, multiple ER visits, an overnight hospital stay — all while losing my job in February and trying to navigate this new reality.

The good news: I found a job I truly love in April and was approved for Medicare now that I’m on dialysis. The hard part: I’m still facing a gap in covering medical costs from before my Medicare kicked in, plus the debt that’s piled up while I was out of work.

I’m asking for help to cover these medical expenses and give my family and me a chance to breathe again. Your kindness, prayers, and generosity mean the world to me. I’m so grateful for all the love and support I’ve already received — I just want to put this stress behind us and focus on getting healthy.

Thank you from the bottom of my (well-filtered) heart ❤️

—Steve