Help Eric's Heart

Hello, my name is Charlotte Valluzzo and I am writing on behalf of our friend, Eric Schenkel. Eric was born with a bicuspid aortic heart valve, which, as a youth, was not terribly problematic, but in adulthood began to cause symptoms that had a significant negative impact on his daily life. Over time, the valve calcified and caused severe stenosis (narrowing) which eventually led to life-threatening heart failure. This caused symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness and passing out. After several frightening situations at his workplace, it was decided in October 2023 that it was unsafe for him to continue working and he had to temporarily leave his position. He was finally given the green light for life-saving aortic valve replacement surgery in late October. Because of the shape of his valve, he was not a candidate for the less-invasive laparoscopic valve replacement, but rather, would have to have an open heart surgery which would be much more complicated and with a longer recovery time. After scheduling setbacks, the procedure was completed at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Virginia on December 1, 2023. Post-surgery was challenging, but he was eventually released from the hospital on December 8, 2023 to begin the long road to recovery. Because the recovery from this type of surgery is very challenging and cannot be done alone, Eric is currently staying with his mom in Roanoke until he can safely get back on his feet. Doctors will not begin to assess his ability to return to work or to drive until mid-January. Meanwhile, he is no longer able to pull in any income and his savings is taking a serious hit. His expenses are piling up and have become a significant burden for Eric. We are reaching out now to his community to request assistance so he can keep his focus on healing rather than stress of this financial burden. It's a difficult time of year to be asking for assistance as we know everyone is strapped, but our friend could use a helping hand during this challenging time in his life. Any donation no matter how small will make a big difference. Eric is very motivated and determined to get back to a point where he can work. Let's help him get there! If you aren't able to donate, you can still help by sharing this GoFundMe with others in the community. Thank you so much for your time and contributions!