CUTHBERT, Ga. (WALB) — A Cuthbert man is in need of emergency heart surgery, and his family is asking the community for financial support.

Johnny Mays, who has been fighting stage 4 congestive heart failure since 2022, is currently a patient at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, according to his wife, Ariel Mays. Along with his heart condition, Mays has also developed chronic kidney disease.

Mays had been on the heart transplant list, but the family said Georgia Medicaid does not cover heart transplants. As a result, Mays now requires emergency LVAD surgery.

The Mays family lives in Cuthbert, nearly three hours from Emory University Hospital. The distance has placed a financial strain on the family during the medical crisis.

Ariel said after the surgery, the family will need to stay in a recovery house near the hospital for an undetermined number of weeks. The family will also face ongoing travel expenses for hospital visits and day-to-day costs while Mays recovers.

We are asking that the community, family, friends, strangers, people that we don’t know, come together to try to pull together for somebody that helped serve our community for so many years. We need just a little extra help.

Mays is the father of four children, and he previously worked as a semi-truck owner-operator but can no longer drive due to his condition.

Ariel created a GoFundMe account to raise donations for the family. Donations will go toward the recovery house, travel expenses for hospital visits, and daily needs for the family during Mays’ recovery.

Those who would like to donate can donate here.

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