UPDATE: We scraped the car due to not being able to pay for our bills. Jake was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. He has many appointments coming up (that aren’t in the area) and no way to get him to them. We are struggling harder than we have ever struggled. We are currently borrowing Jake’s mom’s truck and something happened to that so now we are don’t have any ways of transportation and getting him back and forth to the appointment. We currently have medication at CVS and no way to get there. We have asked for rides and no one is willing to help us. Unless we have $15-30 a ride. We can’t afford to pay that much. Please if you can help with just a $1 it would be amazing. Thank you to everyone who has helped us and everyone who has supported us through this tough time. God Bless.!

Hey y'all, 

My name is Alesha. I am starting a GoFundMe to help long term surgery recovery, associated medical costs, and current vehicle issues that my boyfriend and I are facing. His name is Jake. We are going through one of the toughest times we have ever had to face in the 5 years we have been together. He didn’t want to start a GoFundMe because we know people wouldn’t take it seriously, but we are out of resources and unable to get financial help for us. Jake was an auto glass technician for many years where he replaced not only auto glass but commercial and industrial windows. He was the main source of income for our family. He had injured his back many years ago, but it’s starting to catch up with him. The doctors also denied him an MRI and other forms of positive treatment for many years. Well, we finally got an MRI, X-Ray, and CT scan. It shows that Jake is suffering from spondylolisthesis. L2-L3 vertebrae are bone on bone, which is causing nerve issues as well as constant back and leg pain. Jake has been dealing with degenerating and bulging disc issues for quite some time. His vertebrae alignment is also not lining up normally. Which is causing his vertebrae to pretty much drift at odd angles from each other. He is fighting with pain management along with many other doctors. We are exhausting our pain management options in Erie, so traveling to Pittsburgh is highly likely to happen. Jake used to love camping, fishing, hiking, cars, and life in general. He can’t enjoy those things due to his back issues. Jake can’t go and work, laboring a normal week with his back the way it is. Several Neurosurgeons have decided to do spinal fusion surgery. He is not a good candidate for spinal ablation surgery. Well, surgery could take anywhere from 6-12 months to be fully recovered. He isn’t comfortable with surgery due to our living conditions and not being able to afford to go back and forth to appointments. Jake just doesn’t only have back issues; he has a perianal abscess measuring roughly 6cm. The doctors want to surgically remove it. If he was to get it removed, there is a chance of it taking 6+ months to recover due to it having to heal from the inside out. Also the size and location of the incision. This is not a minimally invasive procedure. On top of all of the health issues, our vehicles are becoming unsafe and in a state of needing some costly repairs. Jake was admitted at St. Vincent on May 27, 2025. While he was being admitted, I had a brake line blow, on our car, and was stranded in the hospital parking garage. A good friend was able to temporarily fix it enough to get me and the car home. I was told to drive as few miles as possible until a proper repair can be made. We are currently driving the truck, and it’s starting to fail us as well. The brake pedal loses pressure when you are pressing the brake, due to severely deteriorating brake lines. Deteriorating rubber brake hose sediment, from 1998, is building up in the master cylinder and ruining the seals. We need to take our truck to Dias Spring Service.  

 Truck Part List: 

Master Cylinder 3 Standard Rubber brake lines (possible fittings/bleeders) 

Steering Gear Box If we could get at least the truck fixed, it would help a lot. 

Jake is not able to do any of the physical work, so we would have to pay for someone to fix it. I know that I have many friends in the automotive industry that are mechanics, and work for well established automotive shops. I'm asking those friends to bring up my situation to their bosses and possibly explain who I was and what I used to do for a living. I'm accepting any donations of vehicle parts or labor needs. I'm trying to have the ability to keep attending necessary upcoming doctor and PT appointments. I desperately need to have a reliable braking situation in either vehicle. They may be interested in donating help with labor or parts. He is in a constant state of physical and emotional distress daily due to the pain and the realization that with this spinal diagnosis, that life will never quite be the same. Jake was living a very active lifestyle. He loved playing extensively with our dog. His condition has worsened over time, and he knows that he won’t be able to do all the extreme things he loves to do.  I set the goal to $4000 due to how much work the vehicles need. So far alone we have spent every penny we have on parking and co pays for medication.  The question is, why am I starting a GoFundMe: We need help getting our vehicle back on the road, gas funds to go back and forth to appointments, hotel expenses if needed due to having to travel to Pittsburgh for appointments/treatment, and just help to pay what I am not able to pay. I as a girlfriend have been picking up as much side work as possible. I myself am going through a lot of doctors and treatments but mine is nothing as serious as his. Every donation is greatly appreciated. If you are unable to donate, please say a prayer for our little family (fur baby). Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this. 

Love, 

Jake and Alesha 

 Again Thank you for everything.!