On 08/24/18, I did a check up with my doctor and he referred my to do a stress test and then an angiogram to check my heart. They found my arteries thinning in my heart and found blockages. I learned about this in such short notice, and began my school year with something completely unexpected.

I'll be having a Coronary Artery Bypass Operation (Open Heart Surgery) on 09/07/18 at 7:15am. The procedure takes between 6-8 hours to finish. Because I started at a new school this year in January, I did not qualify for the Family Medical Leave Act, so I will be using my personal time and sick time to cover for my time off. I am expected to take between 6-12 weeks to recover and during this time, I have enough personal and sick time to cover 3 weeks. Once I hit an unpaid status, my insurance will be discontinued and I am planning to go with COBRA. Originally, I thought that by getting married, I could use Sara's insurance, but there can be stipulations of pre-existing conditions that wouldn't allow me to use hers.

I decided to start a GoFundMe because I am unsure of what insurance I'll have in the month of November, and while I am under unpaid status, I'm sure other medical expenses will come in. It's hard for me to ask for help because I love helping others, but this is a time in which I am concerned and worried about my financial situation in the next few months, and I think with the stress of having Sara take time off work to watch after me and taking care of everything around the house, having a financial boost to support us would help out with the other stressors in our life.

Any contributions whether it's a simple dollar, or coming by the house to help with lawn care or tidying up would be well appreciated.