Hello! Our names are Laney (26) and Orion (26). We fell in love in 2019, took a break for a year, fell in love again, and have been together ever since. We moved to Melbourne, Florida to follow our dream of settling down together and starting a family, both of us working together. All of these photos show Orion a few months or years ago, while he stills smiles, things are not the same.

Orion has always been a Florida-grown, hardworking man. He started working at the age of 16 doing odd jobs and was living on his own at the age of 17. His life has been full of difficulties, and he was often unsure of where his next meal would come from. Orion was determined to not be hopeless and learned all kinds of mechanical work, from cars, trucks, boats, to tractors and more. He did whatever he could to support himself on his own.

I, Laney, have been incredibly fortunate to have a hardworking partner like Orion. He would work overtime and come home with flowers or a little tiny gift for me at least once a week. Little did I know he was removing the thorns from my flowers by hand and memorizing every little thing I loved. He always promised to take care of me when I became chronically ill, when my parents divorced, and when we moved over 3,000 miles to Melbourne, Florida. He was $700 away from buying the engagement ring of my dreams to propose. Both of us had saved $20,000 between the two of us. All that money is now gone, used to save us from homelessness and to keep our heads above water.

No more flowers, no more chocolates, no more days spent window shopping in thrift stores.

No more dreaming about what colors we’ll paint our future baby’s nursery, no more planning what wedding songs we’ll play, no more dancing at midnight in our apartment.

No more dreaming.

Will he be able to be a husband? Or a father? Or tend to his garden in his own home?

Life has completely derailed his promise. Unbeknownst to all of us, he was born with a genetic condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, has developed sick sinus syndrome, and developed bradycardia. Genetic heart conditions and issues like these are the leading cause of sudden death in people under 35.

Will Orion be able to be Orion again, and live a full life?

We don’t know.

He will either need a pacemaker, an ICD, or a combination of both. This will prevent him from doing the work he has spent his whole life perfecting. The ICD will malfunction near the machinery he works with, potentially killing him. He will need to restart completely down a new path while facing a potentially fatal condition. The doctor we spoke to is hesitant to pick a solution.

We are seeking a second opinion.

If I, his partner, send him back to work in a high-stress, labor-intensive, and dangerous job without any solution, I could be signing his life away. With my current health issues and job, and my savings running dry, I will not be able to support us alone.

I alone will not be able to give us our dream and keep Orion alive as he is now for much longer than I have been. Money is running out.

If we reach our starting goal of $13,000, we will be able to move into a more affordable apartment and cover rent for nearly an entire year.

$20,000 will be enough to cover both our apartment and some medical debt.

$30,000 will cover our apartment and more of his medical debt.

$40,000 will cover nearly all of his medical debt and cover our apartment while allowing him to recover in a stable situation.

$60,000 will cover nearly all of his medical debt, our apartment, allow him to recover, and potentially cover a wedding.

We are expecting to both continue working during this time, but the medical bill will be substantial depending on what device he will need. Anything will help and make a difference in our lives.

We both were working so hard towards a future together, not a big one, but a simple future with a house, kids, and stable jobs. Please help us achieve this dream by avoiding bankruptcy due to medical costs, please help us create a cushion to get Orion in a new direction, please help us get married and be alive long enough to enjoy our lives together.