Supporting Steve Oser through Open Heart Surgery

On Oct. 20, 2020, my 51 year old brother Steve Oser had open heart surgery.  He contracted COVID-19 in July likely due to his package delivery job with an Amazon sub-contractor.  Steve’s health deteriorated quickly resulting in almost a week of hospitalization, with no visitors. For those of you who don’t know Steve, he’s a friendly extrovert who loves to talk and is rarely seen without his girlfriend of over a decade “Lil Deb” by his side. They’re attached at the hip so that time was tough on him (and her)!  Deb contracted COVID-19 too and was out of work for over a month.  During his hospitalization, the doctors said his preexisting lung and heart issues were exacerbated by COVID, and he needed to have open heart surgery as soon as he recovered from COVID-19. 

Steve got out of surgery late yesterday afternoon, is intubated, and resting peacefully in the ICU.  The surgeon said the bypass went well. His initial recovery is expected to take at least 8 weeks.  Steve’s been out of work since July and likely won’t be able to work until the start of 2021. This GoFundMe will help with living expenses and any unexpected medical expenses as he’s one of the million people in KY who have applied for unemployment due to COVID-19, but he has yet to receive any unemployment benefits.  My brother is best described as “the life of the party” and willing to give anyone the shirt off his back.  My kiddos adore their “Uncle Stevie,” and I hope they grow up to become empathetic, grateful individuals with a positive outlook just like Steve.

Steve’s a proud person. He begrudgingly approved us making this request as he knows he’ll need help with being out of work for at least half a year due to COVID-19 and then the bypass surgery. Our family has never done a GoFundMe and we appreciate any help you can give.  Jerry Garcia, one of Steve’s favorite artists said: “And the live show is still our main thing.” We thank you for your support in getting Steve back on his feet so he can be part of this live show we call life. - Carrie Oser (Steve's little sister)