Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it. Most of our lives we have done the first part really well, the second not so much and the third, well the recent vacation we took has humbled us into becoming braver than we have ever had to be. A 35th Birthday Celebration became a life changing moment for a seemingly healthy individual.

On June 11, 2021 we set out for Washington DC on a trip to celebrate my Husband Junior's 35th Birthday with his family and friends in Washington DC. We reside in Cincinnati, Ohio. Junior had been having some allergy like symptoms (shortness of breath, sneezing, runny nose) for some time prior to our trip, but as we took otc meds they subsided, therefore we never dreamt the next 24 hours would happen.

Upon arrival to our connecting flight to DC Junior's symptoms worsened to the point that he had to be wheelchaired to the next aircraft. Once we arrived in DC we went immediately to the emergency room and believed that Junior would be discharged at max the next day. After an abnormal EKG things went from bad to worse. Junior was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) the Doctor, thankfully decided to run a full cardio work up and observe Junior overnight. At around 8am on June 12, we spoke via phone, and were just waiting for discharge papers. We still fully intended carrying out the Birthday celebration and seeing a cardiologist on our return to Cincinnati.

At 1pm on June 12th, I received news that no wife, or even human wants to hear about anyone they love or care for. Junior was found unresponsive on the floor in his room, where he had suffered a stroke. TPA was administered and Junior was in ICU. I was speechless, and fearful. None of this made sense based on what I knew about my husband. Upon arrival to the hospital I learned that Junior had a right sided stroke meaning that his left side of his body would be impacted, but worse this was not his first stroke. This still didn't answer the remaining quetions about was happening with his heart, but I was grateful he had survived the stroke.

Two weeks in ICU, multiple tests (echo, angiogram, etc) during this time we found out that Junior not only had CHF but also an enlarged larged, left bundle branch block, and cardiomyopathy. Junior had developed clots in his leg and lung and had to have a filter installed in his groin area. During his hospital stay Junior went through two medical procedures (an icd/pacemaker installation, an ivcf installation) in addition to numerous tests (some invasive and some not) and being put on a blood thinner. There was a strong risk that Junior could have a PFO (a hole in the back of his heart) which would have possibly explained the stroke. By the grace of God we found out that this was not the case, however more news continued to come our way that we didn't want to welcome, and still haven't.

Junior currently is on 4 different medications to treat his condition if the medications work, these will be a life long prescription. Should the medications not yield results, Junior would be put on a list for a heart tranpslant. News that literally no one wants to hear, especially a motivated, successful, and life thriving 35 year old.

On June 29th Junior was finally released from Holy Cross Hospital and sent to Medstar National Rehabilitation Center. Three weeks in this facility and then home to Cincinnati for outpatient rehab and to establish a relationship with a cardiologist here.

On July 16, I headed to DC to bring Junior home to Cincinnati. On the 17th Junior was released from rehab and we began our journey home where Junior began and is currently in outpatient rehab at the Drake Center. Junior will be seeing multiple cardiologists here in Cincinnati for an opinion on his condition, and to determine next steps. We are so grateful for how far we have come.

Junior is a son, beloved brother, Uncle, cousin, and friend. We cannot fail to mention that Junior is an amazing Dog Dad! Junior enjoys trading, computer science, anime, and has a love for all things experience. Junior's big heart, and smile are probably two of his best features. But his determination, ambition, and wit are second in line, and shouldn't go unnoticed.

We are hopeful that Junior will be able to continue pursuing his goals; however, the realities of his condition are that there will be a lot of challenges that Junior was not faced with before. His life and the lives of his loved ones will be forever changed as we face some very daunting prospects in the future, including phsyical, mental, and unfortunately financial. CHF is an ongoing condition, coupled with cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, and left bundle branch block, ongoing treatment and medication will be imperative, not to mention health insurance, and additional medical costs.

We have been instrumental in Community and believe that it takes a village, and that asking for help is not an easy task, but it is not a negative. We hope that you will find the generosity in your heart to help us in our time of need, as we continue to push through medical expenses and our new normal, your help will make things just a little easier.