RICHMOND, Va. -- Barry Farmer is known for his huge heart. Now, that heart is failing him.
The 34-year-old single father of three announced this month he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
"The past few weeks my health had been declining slowly with what I thought was an asthma/bronchitis flare up," Farmer posted on Facebook. "I drove myself to ER... after a few tests, the doctor tells me my heart is failing and was only operating at 15 percent."
While Farmer and his doctors work to come up with a health plan, Farmer's radio partner Sharon Lizzy started a GoFundMe to help ease some of Farmer's financial burden.
"He's a good guy. He's got three sons. He's a single parent. And I just thought there's got to be something that I can do to help him because he does so much for so many people," she said. "[He] is a kind-hearted person. He is an expert at everything he does. He's a blogger. He's a father. He's a radio host. He has a magazine. He does marketing consulting. He can help you do anything that you need to do. It's not about the money. He will help anyone who asks."
Barry Farmer's big heart helped spread his story across the nation. At age 20, Farmer became a foster parent. Two years later he adopted his first son. By age 26, he was a father of three.
Farmer's foster dad story was shared on both local and national news outlets.
"Fatherhood has brought me lots of joy. I can’t imagine my sons not being with me,” Farmer said in a 2017 interview. “They’re great kids. They’re not perfect; no kid is perfect. They’re just dealing with typical teenage things right now, typical children things. And I can’t complain about that."
Farmer's GoFundMe has raised more than $6,300.
