Hi, I’m Jake. Early last year, I became very sick and my symptoms kept getting worse. I reached a point where I could barely breathe, and I was rushed to the ER. Doctors had to intubate me, and I woke up three days later in the Cardiovascular ICU. I was told that I had nearly died from sudden, severe biventricular congestive heart failure and cardiogenic shock, which means both sides of my heart had failed and my organs were not receiving enough oxygen.

I spent many weeks in the CVICU. My ejection fraction, which measures how well the heart pumps, had fallen to 10 percent. It was one of the scariest periods of my life, and the recovery has been long and difficult.

Since leaving the hospital, my daily life has revolved around trying to stabilize a heart that still is not responding to treatment the way my doctors hoped. They are preparing me for an ICD defibrillator because I am at high risk for sudden cardiac arrest, and we are working toward the heart transplant list.

I am still dealing with severe fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath with basic tasks. Some things have improved, but I am nowhere close to being able to work or support myself physically or financially.

I applied for disability over a year ago. We recently learned my case had been stalled for months because of a Social Security error. The review is finally happening now, but I have been told the wait for a decision is estimated at another seven months.

My family has been helping as much as they can. My parents are both newly retired, and my mom even picked up a job to help cover my basic living expenses while we waited for disability to begin. We have stretched every resource we have, but this situation has gone on longer than any of us ever expected.

Recently, I fainted in the shower because of my heart condition. I hit my head and fractured a front tooth that now needs to be removed and replaced. Dental work like this is not covered, and with no income of my own, it pushed everything past what my family can manage on our own.

What funds will help cover:

Urgent dental extraction and implant.

Rent and basic living expenses during the disability processing delay.

Transportation for medical appointments.

Out of pocket medical care related to heart failure.

Asking for help is incredibly difficult for me. I am doing everything I can to stay stable, follow treatment, and keep myself safe until disability is approved. Any support, whether through donating or sharing this, means more than I can express.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

With gratitude,

Jake and my dog Winnie