I’m Sarah, a wife and mom from Tulsa living with a serious form of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disease that causes abnormal thickening and scarring of the heart muscle.

After a major hospitalization earlier this year, testing showed that my heart disease is more severe than we originally knew. My cardiac MRI showed severe heart muscle thickening and extensive scarring, and a heart monitor captured ventricular tachycardia — a potentially dangerous abnormal rhythm. Mayo Clinic has recommended an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) to help protect me from life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias.

But the ICD is only one part of my care. It does not treat the underlying HCM, heart failure, severe blood-pressure problems, or the other complications I’m being evaluated for. I now need ongoing specialty care at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, including cardiology/electrophysiology, hypertension/nephrology and sleep medicine.

My next trip begins September 30, and the cost of repeated travel is becoming more than our family can manage. Donations will help with airfare, lodging, transportation, meals and other expenses required for these Mayo Clinic visits and treatment.

I have already spent more than a week at Mayo this year, and unfortunately this will not be my last trip. We don’t yet know how many visits will be necessary or exactly what treatment will look like going forward.

I know many families are struggling financially, so I truly understand if donating isn’t possible. Even a small donation or sharing this fundraiser with someone else can make a difference.

I’m not asking anyone to fix everything. I’m just trying to make sure I can keep getting to the doctors who are helping me navigate a very serious and uncertain heart condition.

Thank you for reading my story, sharing it, or helping us get to Mayo. It means more to my family than I can put into words.