In August 2023, Dr. Rafael de Andrade begin his dream job as an Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences at the St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a top public liberal arts college in the US. This was the culmination of decades of work, through a Master’s, Ph.D., and multiple postdoctoral positions in the US and Italy. With his wife Gabby and two pre-K children, Leon and Paloma, Rafael bought a home and settled into a career teaching and mentoring undergraduate students.

For years, he has managed a heart condition. On December 20th, tragedy struck - a failed clinical procedure (heart ablation) led to a cardiac arrest and landed him in the ICU. On January 9th he had an open-heart surgery.

The great news is that he is recovering well, and the prognosis is terrific – even better than before. He also has excellent health insurance thanks to his position at SMCM. However, because of the long recovery period, Rafael must take an unpaid leave of absence for the spring semester. Because he has been employed for less than one year, state-defined contractual limitations prevent him from receiving salary until May 2024.

With a mortgage and other expenses to pay, his savings will not last until May. Thus, I am reaching out for help on his behalf. Can you help him bridge through to May?