Hello everyone. My name is Michael, and I never imagined I would be writing something like this. On November 1st, everything in my life changed. I went to the ER thinking I just had a bad cough and was told that I was in active heart failure. I have never had any heart issues in my entire life, and this came out of nowhere.

I am only 39 years old, and the doctors told me that the problems I have are extremely rare for someone my age. I have aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, and a lung nodule that they are still evaluating. I will need open heart surgery within the next few weeks. They will be replacing two heart valves, and my recovery will take around six months.

Because of this, I have been placed on minimum hours at work while I wait for surgery. Once the surgery happens, I will be completely out of work for the entire recovery period. I have always been the provider in my home, and it is extremely difficult for me to ask for help, but right now, I do not have another option.

I have four children between the ages of nine and nineteen, and Christmas is coming quickly. I want to be able to keep my family stable through this and make sure my kids have some sense of normal life while we go through this frightening time.

Any help means more than I can ever express. Even sharing this would be a blessing. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this, and thank you to anyone who is able to support us during this unexpected and overwhelming chapter in our lives.

UPDATE: I have a surgery date of Dec 6. They are now talking about looking at a tricuspid valve replacement as well.