Hello and thank you for taking the time to listen to Jack's story and for helping us to find answers and healing for him. For those of you that don't know Jack, let me give you a bit of background. Jack grew up in the small town of Sitka, AK. At the age of eighteen he sought to build a brighter future than his hometown could provide and he moved to the "big" city of Anchorage. It is there he worked hard for almost 20 years as a heavy equipment mechanic, power generation technician to most recently a construction worker so he could be closer to home and watch our daughter grow up (we adopted her from birth 3.5 years ago). Jack is one of the hardest working people you have ever met. He always makes the necessary sacrifices to do what is best for his family and others, has the most generous heart, is compassionate, loyal and dedicated. He strives to honor God in all that he does and is active in our local church. He loves me (his wife) fully and our three-year-old has him wrapped around her little finger. He is the most forgiving, merciful and gracious man. He is diligent, honest, loving and has a great sense of humor. Even through all of these medical trials and pain, he still has a great attitude and fully trusts in the Lord and knows everything is for His own glory. I don't know many people who would handle his situation so amazingly and patiently. And he is so humble and doesn't like to be a burden to anyone, which makes asking for help so hard as he knows so many others are going through their own trials. With that said, let me share why we are asking for your help and prayers.
This all started about 18 months ago when Jack fell from a ladder at work while framing a house. Long story short he fractured all three bones in his leg, severed his ACL, completely destroyed his meniscus, tore the labrum in his hip and more. After two surgeries and what feels like a forever long journey (and we still aren't finished yet with more corrective surgeries needed), Jack's course of medical care was disrupted in September 2020 due to the onset of a new medical enigma.
Although completely healthy prior to the ladder fall, Jack now suffers from what the doctors, rheumatologist and other specialists believe to be an autoimmune disease. However, they can't quite figure out what disease he has as his symptoms mimic several severe and challenging diseases ranging from Lupus to Rheumatoid Arthritis to Reynaud’s and more. The doctors have run test after test, lab after lab, specialist after specialist and still nobody can figure out what is wrong with him. We have exhausted the limited resources here in Alaska and at this time all of his medical providers agree the next step is to get Jack to the Mayo Clinic in hopes of finding the answers we seek and the best possible treatment plan to get Jack on the path to a full recovery, or at least the best recovery he can get pending his final diagnosis.
Jack's symptoms range from a severe rash that also yields to large swollen lumps/growths (sometimes as big as a softball!) that are hot and very hard to the touch (think Rhino skin) and painful I might add, EXTREME joint/muscle/bone pain as well as burning/tingling/pain in his feet and hands- to the point where he has trouble walking at times, swollen and sore throat/esophagus causing challenges eating or swallowing at times (he lost over 10 lbs. in less than a week from inability to eat or even swallow water), lack of ability to sleep due to chronic pain and his ongoing ladder injuries which cause their own set of challenges, itchiness, brain fog, extreme fatigue, chest pain, vision issues, blood shot eyes, painful urination at times, discoloration and swelling of hands, completely wiped out after basic daily functions or anything remotely physical (like loading wood for the woodstove to heat our home), severe sensitivity to the cold as well as light, and more. Jack has an extreme pain tolerance but this has shown a whole new side of him as he deals with such terrific amounts of pain and symptoms with all of this. Jack has been on steroids since October helping to suppress the severity of his symptoms while his medical team try to find answers. However, the steroids only help with symptoms and do not eliminate them and they bring their own challenges over time as well. We have tried supplements, modified diet and natural remedies as well. Nothing has been able to rid of the problems or help with a diagnosis. Every day is filled with continuing symptoms and mysteries as to what new symptoms will pop up along the way. Although the medications and supplements help to make days more manageable, some days are really rough and just plain awful.
At this time, Jack and I do not have medical insurance as neither of our jobs provide it. We recently discovered that the Mayo Clinic requires a $5000 deposit before Jack can even been seen in addition to the cost of airfare, lodging, food, transportation and other expenses. With the medical bills the last six months since this started, we are not in a position to prepay all these expenses but we are desperate to get answers and help for Jack and our family. We are seeking help from friends, family, brothers and sisters in Christ and anyone else willing and able to assist us. We don't take asking for help lightly and we were hesitant to put this fundraiser together as we know others have needs as well, but we have come to realize the necessity of it. If you are able to donate, we would be greatly appreciative and so blessed by your gift. And prayers.... we would love all the prayers we can get to help sustain and encourage us along the way. Thank you so much for your time, consideration and help!
