My name is Karen Messer, and I've been a teacher for 20 years, with the majority of that being in Highlands County. This GoFundMe is for my son, Mason Messer, who is in 9th grade at Avon Park High School.

This past November, fluid was found surrounding Mason's heart, causing shortness of breath, chest pain, and making him tire out quickly. The fluid was drained, but only 2 weeks later, Mason was experiencing the same symptoms as before, indicating that the fluid had come back. This time, they put a window in the sac around his heart to let the fluid drain and prevent buildup around his heart.

After several trips to the hospital in Orlando and Gainesville, and many days in the ICU, doctors determined that Mason has restrictive cardiomyopathy, which will lead to heart failure and the need for a heart transplant. While many people can live for years without the need for a transplant, Mason's disease has progressed more quickly than doctors had hoped, and he is being put on the list to receive a donor heart in Gainesville at Shands.

Throughout everything, Mason has continued to keep a positive attitude and shown courage repeatedly in extremely difficult circumstances, especially for someone at such a young age. His dad and I, his doctors, teachers, family and friends are continuously in awe of the strength he's shown throughout this time.