Get Jason back on his feet

Jason is a 45-year-old devoted husband and father and lives in Huntsville, Alabama with his wife and 10-year-old daughter.

In 2015, Jason started to experience some foot pain, so he went to see a local Podiatrist to get some relief before an upcoming trip to Disney to celebrate his daughter Delaney’s 5th birthday. The podiatrist made the common diagnosis of Plantar Fasciitis. Little did Jason and Ashley know that this was just the beginning of a 5-year quest for answers.

Between 2015 and 2020, Jason saw a total of 7 podiatrists/orthopedic surgeons as well as several physical therapists. All the typical tests were done…MRIs, X rays, Ultrasounds, CAT scans, etc. All the treatments were tried…physical therapy, injections, over the counter orthotics, custom orthotics, expensive shoes, heel pads, heel cups, arch supports, heat, ice, pain cream, special socks, nerve decompression surgery, plantar fascia ligament removal surgery, calf muscle lengthening surgery…you name it. Unfortunately, the pain continued to worsen and started to greatly affect his quality of life and the things in life he loves the most started to get very hard to do.

In 2018, it became apparent that the cause of the foot pain was the deterioration of the fat on his feet and he was given a generic diagnosis of Fat Pad Atrophy. This loss of fat began happening all over his body and the fat that he does has left is “not working correctly.” Accompanying this loss of fat is muscle weakness and weight loss. Realizing that this was no longer just a foot issue, Jason and Ashley started looking for answers. Jason has been seen by several orthopedists, two rheumatologists, a cardiologist, a neurologist, an internist, a GI doctor, and underwent some genetic testing. Unfortunately, no diagnosis has been made and the issues are rapidly intensifying. Essentially, he has been walking on bones the last several years and, as a result, has deep bone bruising in the heels and balls of his feet.

Through exhaustive research, Jason happened upon an article on the internet about a procedure to replace the fat in the feet. A team of doctors at the University of Pittsburgh pioneered the procedure and are sought after across the world for their treatment of fat pad atrophy. Jason contacted them, had a telemedicine appointment with them, and sent them his latest MRI for review. It was a huge blessing when Jason was told by the doctors that he was a candidate for the surgery and that they would accept him as a patient. That was the good news. The bad news was that only one foot could be done at a time and, of course, the procedure would have to be done in Pittsburgh.

Not being able to find a cause of the issues Jason has been experiencing, he and Ashley began to feel hopeless and out of options. Jason’s mother spent many years of her early life at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and he recalled her speaking very fondly of their care. In December of 2020, Jason and Ashley made the hard decision to reach out to Mayo Clinic as a sort of last resort. Jason’s case was reviewed, and he was accepted as a patient. He had a telemedicine appointment in late December with an internist at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL and the decision was made to have Jason travel to Jacksonville for a meeting with the doctor and a battery of tests.

As a result of the issues he is experiencing, Jason broke his left ankle in late December and is healing in a walking boot in the hopes that an additional surgery is not needed.

Jason and Ashley are very blessed. Jason has a good job, Ashley is a homemaker, and they have excellent health insurance. They are very frugal and have managed their finances very tightly over the years. As you can imagine, it has been quite hard on their 10-year-old daughter to see her Daddy sick and for him not to be able to play with her and do the things they love doing together. This has been detrimental to Jason, who is an avid outdoorsman and woodworker. He and Delaney love to camp and build together, and his ability to do both are significantly impacted by pain and mobility issues.

Jason and Ashley have never asked anyone for help, but then again have never been in this struggle for Jason’s health. At this time, 2-3 trips to Mayo Clinic will be needed as well as 2-3 trips to UPMC in Pittsburgh. It won’t be easy, but they feel as though they can handle the out of pocket expenses related to the medical care but are asking for help with the travel related expenses. Being frugal and considerate, Jason and Ashley plan to travel very conservatively and responsibly but there are still flights, rental cars, hotels, food, etc. that will have to be paid for which will, undoubtedly, become a financial burden. Their hope and prayer are that Delaney’s life will be affected as minimally as possible as they take on this journey of healing. On top of the emotional toll this is taking on her, they do not want her to have to sacrifice the things she loves so that her Daddy can get better.

Jason and Ashley are very humble in their request for help and support and know that through their faith in God, tremendous family and friends, and the blessing of amazing medical care, Jason will get better. If you are not able to contribute financially, they will appreciate your prayers just as much.

Any monies received in excess of their expenses will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities which help alleviate financial burdens for families with sick children.