Hello, this is Gabriel Triggs. I am 33 years old and live in Oregon. I have had a difficult time health-wise since November. After two major heart surgeries in five months, I find myself in need of financial help to meet my monthly bills for the next several months.

In November of 2024, I suffered an ascending aortic dissection — a sudden-onset condition in which the walls of the aorta separate into layers and begin to peel apart. This is a death sentence without immediate surgical intervention. The emergency surgery to repair the dissection went well, and I expected to recover in a few months’ time. As time passed, however, I began to get worse. My legs went numb, I could barely walk, and I experienced episodes of light-headedness and extremely high blood pressure.

On my second visit to the ER in March of 2025, tests showed that the stent that had been placed to correct my aortic dissection was collapsing, no longer allowing correct blood flow to parts of my body. This meant that half of my body was getting too little blood while the other half was experiencing blood pressure that could cause a stroke. Incredibly, my team of doctors was able to plan and execute a second, more complicated surgery that corrected the collapse and saved my life once again.

My blood pressure is finally getting in line with what it should be; however, my heart rate is not back to normal yet, and my doctors and I are not sure what getting it corrected may entail. I’m still physically weak from this months-long experience that is still not over, and I honestly do not know how long it will be before I will be able to go back to work. Any financial help that you can donate to help with rent, utilities, groceries, and the other assorted costs of daily life would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks to everyone.