Gilyeat-Heim Medical Relief Fund

Two men. Two parallel journeys. One love.

 

On November 12th, 2021, the lives of (Sean) Rhys Gilyeat (36) and Paul Heim (34) changed forever for a second time as they looked at the baseball-sized, Grade 3 Hemangiopericytoma brain tumor taking up residence in Rhys' brain. Within 5 days, Rhys was on the operating table for a 12-hour craniotomy under the expert guidance and care of the brilliant Neurosurgery team at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. While flooded with relief to hear news of a successful procedure, unfortunately, this was not the first encounter with the word tumor for his partner of 5 years.

In Late November 2017, the words testicular cancer entered the couple’s daily vocabulary as they stared at Paul's own early-stage growth. Faced with the daunting healthcare costs of the US medical system, Rhys and Paul decided to explore other options and embark on medical tourism. Over the next 3 years, Paul and Rhys traveled from Kuala Lumpur to Madrid seeking the care that took Paul successfully through to the surveillance phase. Ready to settle into a new home in a city they mutually love, they returned to NYC in July 2021, unaware of what was just around the bend.

 

 

The compound effect of these dual life events has led Rhys and Paul to create this GoFundMe in hopes of relieving both the lingering financial burden from Paul's testicular cancer, and supporting the journey ahead for Rhys that is only now beginning.


Rhys Gilyeat is an Artist, Singer, and Writer; you can explore his work further at www.rhysgilyeat.net or follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Medium. 

 

Paul Heim is a Technical Program Manager in Identity, IoT Device Attestation, and Authentication; learn more about him at www.linkedin.com/in/paulheim

Your donation will aid in relieving the massive financial undertaking that is the fight against malignant cell growth, including radiation, surgeries, prosthetics, surveillance, family support, temperance of lost wages, and the continued unknown.

Life happens, and if there is any couple that knows how to take hardship with a smile. it's these two men who constantly strive to learn, love, and experience life to its very fullest.

*For those who wish to remain anonymous in their contributions, please copy and paste the following PayPal link: https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/8EZ2KByWFZ