Help with Joseph's Medical Expenses
Donation protected
My son, Joseph Jeffers, is one of the most generous, thoughtful people I know. He is always there to help out a loved one or friend whenever he can, even if in doing so causes some struggle in his own life. He has never been one to ask for help, always figuring out a way to make things work. Astonishingly he has been able to keep a positive outlook despite his recent health challenges. Undoubtedly there have been moments when the pressure & stress has affected his faith in a resolution to it all.
I wanted to do something to help him in some way, since I personally cannot help him financially. In an effort to help him overcome the financial burden of medical bills, insurance co-pays, medication, and partial loss of pay during his medical leave from flying.
He has traveled to Mayo Clinic on several occasions and has been through countless blood tests, diagnostic imaging, a multitude of specialists and numerous biopsies. Recently his recent trip to Mayo Clinic for an MRI has revealed that he has HLA-B27(+) Undifferentiated Spondyloarthritis. He will be seeing a physical therapy MD to be evaluated for a proper exercise/physical therapy regimen to minimize further progression of the disorder. Some other symptoms remain that are not tied to this diagnosis but his team of doctors feels he may have a slowly evolving Behcet's Syndrome as well. Many people have never heard of Behcet's due to its rarity...in short it's a systemic auto-immune inflammatory disease. The course of the disease is unpredictable and he will continue to be monitored by Rheumatology & Dermatology. The dermatitis he has experienced has been improving recently, we are thankful for that. Thankfully both conditions are treated similarly with immunosuppresants and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs such as Remicade. He spent 4 weeks on a high dose of steroids and any future flares will likely treated with Imuran. He is currently being treated with 6 medications that bring his monthly co-pays to nearly $300.
Thankfully there are medications that can help him return to his normal vibrant globe-hopping self. He has started a few new oral medications in recent days and although its too early to tell if they are proving effective, we can only pray that the doctors are making the right choices.
He does not yet have a return to work date. He has not flown since early March, before the last flare he encountered. Now that he now has some direction in treatment for the arthritis pain, he will hopefully see some significant improvement. It has been a long road trying to determine the cause of his symptoms, we are thankful they have at least assigned it a name. Although the question of Behcet's remains, auto-immune disorders arent fully understood & it is often a lengthy difficult process to officially diagnose and find proper treatment protocol, as each person tends to respond differently.
I would like to thank each and every one of you for your kindness & generosity in helping my son during this difficult time. I would like him to focus on healing and not be so stressed about his financial situation as a result of all of this. No donation is too small, there is strength in numbers. If you are personally unable to donate, please share this with others who may be able to help out.
Let's show him how all of the small investments in friends over the years can end up having a bigger impact than one could ever anticipate.
God Bless You!
Sincerely,
Susan
I wanted to do something to help him in some way, since I personally cannot help him financially. In an effort to help him overcome the financial burden of medical bills, insurance co-pays, medication, and partial loss of pay during his medical leave from flying.
He has traveled to Mayo Clinic on several occasions and has been through countless blood tests, diagnostic imaging, a multitude of specialists and numerous biopsies. Recently his recent trip to Mayo Clinic for an MRI has revealed that he has HLA-B27(+) Undifferentiated Spondyloarthritis. He will be seeing a physical therapy MD to be evaluated for a proper exercise/physical therapy regimen to minimize further progression of the disorder. Some other symptoms remain that are not tied to this diagnosis but his team of doctors feels he may have a slowly evolving Behcet's Syndrome as well. Many people have never heard of Behcet's due to its rarity...in short it's a systemic auto-immune inflammatory disease. The course of the disease is unpredictable and he will continue to be monitored by Rheumatology & Dermatology. The dermatitis he has experienced has been improving recently, we are thankful for that. Thankfully both conditions are treated similarly with immunosuppresants and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs such as Remicade. He spent 4 weeks on a high dose of steroids and any future flares will likely treated with Imuran. He is currently being treated with 6 medications that bring his monthly co-pays to nearly $300.
Thankfully there are medications that can help him return to his normal vibrant globe-hopping self. He has started a few new oral medications in recent days and although its too early to tell if they are proving effective, we can only pray that the doctors are making the right choices.
He does not yet have a return to work date. He has not flown since early March, before the last flare he encountered. Now that he now has some direction in treatment for the arthritis pain, he will hopefully see some significant improvement. It has been a long road trying to determine the cause of his symptoms, we are thankful they have at least assigned it a name. Although the question of Behcet's remains, auto-immune disorders arent fully understood & it is often a lengthy difficult process to officially diagnose and find proper treatment protocol, as each person tends to respond differently.
I would like to thank each and every one of you for your kindness & generosity in helping my son during this difficult time. I would like him to focus on healing and not be so stressed about his financial situation as a result of all of this. No donation is too small, there is strength in numbers. If you are personally unable to donate, please share this with others who may be able to help out.
Let's show him how all of the small investments in friends over the years can end up having a bigger impact than one could ever anticipate.
God Bless You!
Sincerely,
Susan
Organizer
Susan Davis Studer
Organizer
Shelbyville, IL
