Jeffrey's Medical Fund
Donation protected
This campaign is in support of Jeffrey Poole's fight against Glioblastoma Multiforma brain Cancer.
Jeffrey started experiencing horrendous headaches in late 2013. He had not experienced headaches of this pain level and very little helped lessen the pain so he was eventually referred to a Nuerologist that started with shots into the scalp as in his opinion the headaches were stress related. It was mentioned a few times that a CTScan would be completed however this was never scheduled.
As 2014 started and Jeffrey's third grandchild was due Jeffrey started experiencing visual issues such as seeing things not there and moments of disorientation, light sensitivity, blacking out. By July the headaches were daily and constant, he was tasting acidity in all foods and smelling metallic almost everywhere. He was struggling with making it to work and started missing several days a week at times or working from home when possible because the drive and office environment was more than he could tolerate with all the symtoms he was experiencing.
While in a store on July 5th, 2014 Jeffrey made a visit to the restroom. I found him wandering the store about 10 minutes later. He was surprised to see me and insisted he had to pick up his daughter and granddaughters. As I questioned more he seemed to be losing memory and making less sense by the moment and by the time I talked him into getting into the car with me he had forgotten grandchildren and did not recognize pictures of himself or his grown children.
Between the store and the hospital he forgot his children, did not realize what a cell phone was, did not know anything within the previous 26 years. By the time we were in the hospital words no longer matched what he was talking about. Wallet was ticket, the drawer was the restroom, the wheelchair was broccoli.
A CTScan showed a large mass and swelling in Jeffrey's right temporal lobe pushing his brain 7mm to the left which would have been the cause of previous symtoms as it progressed and was the cause of the confusion at the moment. Due to his growing confusion Jeffrey became very determined to leave the hospital as he did not understand what was happening and only knew he was tired and his head hurt. Eventually the officers in the Emergency Department were called to assist and Jeffrey was placed in a medically induced coma for his own safety.
Jeffrey was then transported to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital due to the need of a trauma unit. Here he was held in the coma for 4 days in NICU waiting for medication to reduce the swelling in the brain area and his fever to be reduced. MRI's at this time showed one large mass with a long comet like tail and another smaller mass. The surgeon explained daily due to what he saw he felt it was Glioblastoma Multiforma, that he could remove some of the mass to relieve the pressure and that if the biopsy showed it was Glioblastoma Multiforma that the average life expectancy was 14 months.
On July 9th, at 9:10 PM the surgeon started the surgical procedure to remove what he could of this mass. At 3:30 AM on July 10th we were informed that he did remove more than expected however the second tumor and comet tail and about 20% of the original mass were not removable.
Later that morning Jeffrey was brought completely out of the coma and just learning he had a tumor in his brain and his head had been cut into. A few days later we learned that the biopsy showed that he had the most aggressive brain cancer known that had no cure and few treatments.
10 days later the journey through standard treatments of chemotherapy and radiation were discussed and then started. Hours between care and overnight started being used to research every possibility standard or alternative, calls made across the country and some to other countries to find out if anyone had anything to fight this cancer. Basic body health was improved and until August of 2015 the cancer was not active. In September of 2015 regrowth was definite. By October of 2015 the regrowth had went from Lima bean sized to walnut sized. January 2016 showed the tumor has now crossed into the left temporal lobe and frontal lobe and is at 6.9 cm.
Jeffrey is a strong, determined individual that has fought every step of the way and continues to fight. He knows the statistics but he does not give in he keeps fighting every step of the way.
During the past 18 months emergency funds, savings were depleted, credit cards maxed to pay co pays on chemotherapy medication, gas for appointments several times a week, daily medication to help prevent seizures and counteract the side affects of the standard treatments, emergency department visits due to falls and other cancer related issues. We have been shocked by the amount of out of pocket costs this particular illness has caused. Having insurance and even carrying a secondary definitely helps however on top of being deadly aggressive it is expensive with fewer funds to assist most of which are depleted at the beginning of the year by patients that have no insurance and need the assistance more than our family.
As as a family we decided early on that we would not ask for financial assistance through a program like this. We were determined to try to keep our issues to ourselves. Now at this point we feel that it is time to put away the pride and request help from those that have suggested this program and those that want and can assist. We are only trying to remove a portion of the financial burden that has been created from this horrific illness in the past 18 months so that keeping Jeffrey's comfort and wishes during the next part of this fight will be possible. Any assistance will be used on medical needs at this time such as grab bars to assist in allowing Jeffrey to keep as much freedom and independence as possible and medical bills created by out of pocket maximums and co pays (for instance one type of chemo was $350-$450 per month depending on weight of the month for 13 months) and borrowed money.
Just a little about Jeffrey's personal life beyond cancer. Jeffrey has two grown children that he is proud of and enjoys getting to spend time with whenever possible. They are trying to balance work and spending as much time with their father right now as possible. They have been helping in many areas to try and make things easier for him and create wonderful memories. He is also a Granddad to two Granddaughters and one Grandson. Anyone that meets Jeffrey usually learns very quickly all about his Grandchildren. They call him Dadad as the oldest Granddaughter decided as she reasoned that he was her Mommie's dad so that made him her double dad. Jeffrey put a full sized trampoline in the living room for the Grandchildren and always looks forward to trips to Busch Gardens to ride the rides with the kids. He wants to be a Grandparent like his Grandparents that he remembers very fondly and acknowledges had a large influence on his life.
Jeffrey is a Veteran that came originally from Florida and spent his military time with Special Operations on Fort Bragg and time on Hahn AirForce Base in Germany. He earned his Airborne wings in 1987. Jeffrey is very proud of his time spent serving his country and often tells various stories about this time period. After the military Jeffrey earned degrees in the IT field and became a programmer and HIPAA specialist. He has enjoyed his career with the State and can usually point out security issues pretty quickly and will tell whomever that they need fixed and why they need fixed.
Jeffrey also enjoys motorcycle trips and his Vulcan 2000 that can get him talking for hours about the bike and the bike trips. He also owns a Harley police interceptor that was given to him that he is very proud of and soon he will be giving to his son.
Jeffrey is also a cat rescuer. He has rescued 7 kitties that he truly treats like his children. They often sleep with him, two of them holler when he leaves the house, and at some point in the day each one spends time with him. He has a specific way people enter the house to assure his kitties do not escape into the dangerous outdoors and even when he has had to leave with EMS in an ambulance he tells us to do kitty inventory to ,are sure all kitties are safe inside.
At this time Jeffrey is unable to do much of what he has enjoyed up until cancer started affecting his mobility. His is very frustrated and often his eyes show his want to do what he wants to do and to be more active in his family life and with his hobbies and interests. Not being able to work has really frustrated him as he enjoyed and insisted until December in working as much as possible and has only stopped because it is no longer possible. His family is trying to keep up with his needs and keep him as comfortable as possible. As you can imagine financial worries and needs are sometimes very stressful in themselves and as we try to help his comfort and safety levels we would also like to try and remove some of the burden the finances have been created on Jeffrey and the family.
We appreciate any assistance with this that is possible. The goal set on here is based on getting the immediate concerns handled and because I did not know what to set it at and I have to admit trying to set a goal and ask for assistance is very hard and humbling. The total debt left after trying to pay as much as possible with savings and any money we could push towards these extra costs is now floating around $45,000. I would like to ask that if assisting us would create an issue for your own finances please do not donate.
Again anything is truly appreciated and helps in Jeffrey's fight against this horrible illness. Most of Jeffrey's friends will tell you he fights and fights hard. He has been an inspiration to many and tries to share his battle and also his life lessons along with trying to keep a sense of humor.
Jeffrey started experiencing horrendous headaches in late 2013. He had not experienced headaches of this pain level and very little helped lessen the pain so he was eventually referred to a Nuerologist that started with shots into the scalp as in his opinion the headaches were stress related. It was mentioned a few times that a CTScan would be completed however this was never scheduled.
As 2014 started and Jeffrey's third grandchild was due Jeffrey started experiencing visual issues such as seeing things not there and moments of disorientation, light sensitivity, blacking out. By July the headaches were daily and constant, he was tasting acidity in all foods and smelling metallic almost everywhere. He was struggling with making it to work and started missing several days a week at times or working from home when possible because the drive and office environment was more than he could tolerate with all the symtoms he was experiencing.
While in a store on July 5th, 2014 Jeffrey made a visit to the restroom. I found him wandering the store about 10 minutes later. He was surprised to see me and insisted he had to pick up his daughter and granddaughters. As I questioned more he seemed to be losing memory and making less sense by the moment and by the time I talked him into getting into the car with me he had forgotten grandchildren and did not recognize pictures of himself or his grown children.
Between the store and the hospital he forgot his children, did not realize what a cell phone was, did not know anything within the previous 26 years. By the time we were in the hospital words no longer matched what he was talking about. Wallet was ticket, the drawer was the restroom, the wheelchair was broccoli.
A CTScan showed a large mass and swelling in Jeffrey's right temporal lobe pushing his brain 7mm to the left which would have been the cause of previous symtoms as it progressed and was the cause of the confusion at the moment. Due to his growing confusion Jeffrey became very determined to leave the hospital as he did not understand what was happening and only knew he was tired and his head hurt. Eventually the officers in the Emergency Department were called to assist and Jeffrey was placed in a medically induced coma for his own safety.
Jeffrey was then transported to Wake Forest Baptist Hospital due to the need of a trauma unit. Here he was held in the coma for 4 days in NICU waiting for medication to reduce the swelling in the brain area and his fever to be reduced. MRI's at this time showed one large mass with a long comet like tail and another smaller mass. The surgeon explained daily due to what he saw he felt it was Glioblastoma Multiforma, that he could remove some of the mass to relieve the pressure and that if the biopsy showed it was Glioblastoma Multiforma that the average life expectancy was 14 months.
On July 9th, at 9:10 PM the surgeon started the surgical procedure to remove what he could of this mass. At 3:30 AM on July 10th we were informed that he did remove more than expected however the second tumor and comet tail and about 20% of the original mass were not removable.
Later that morning Jeffrey was brought completely out of the coma and just learning he had a tumor in his brain and his head had been cut into. A few days later we learned that the biopsy showed that he had the most aggressive brain cancer known that had no cure and few treatments.
10 days later the journey through standard treatments of chemotherapy and radiation were discussed and then started. Hours between care and overnight started being used to research every possibility standard or alternative, calls made across the country and some to other countries to find out if anyone had anything to fight this cancer. Basic body health was improved and until August of 2015 the cancer was not active. In September of 2015 regrowth was definite. By October of 2015 the regrowth had went from Lima bean sized to walnut sized. January 2016 showed the tumor has now crossed into the left temporal lobe and frontal lobe and is at 6.9 cm.
Jeffrey is a strong, determined individual that has fought every step of the way and continues to fight. He knows the statistics but he does not give in he keeps fighting every step of the way.
During the past 18 months emergency funds, savings were depleted, credit cards maxed to pay co pays on chemotherapy medication, gas for appointments several times a week, daily medication to help prevent seizures and counteract the side affects of the standard treatments, emergency department visits due to falls and other cancer related issues. We have been shocked by the amount of out of pocket costs this particular illness has caused. Having insurance and even carrying a secondary definitely helps however on top of being deadly aggressive it is expensive with fewer funds to assist most of which are depleted at the beginning of the year by patients that have no insurance and need the assistance more than our family.
As as a family we decided early on that we would not ask for financial assistance through a program like this. We were determined to try to keep our issues to ourselves. Now at this point we feel that it is time to put away the pride and request help from those that have suggested this program and those that want and can assist. We are only trying to remove a portion of the financial burden that has been created from this horrific illness in the past 18 months so that keeping Jeffrey's comfort and wishes during the next part of this fight will be possible. Any assistance will be used on medical needs at this time such as grab bars to assist in allowing Jeffrey to keep as much freedom and independence as possible and medical bills created by out of pocket maximums and co pays (for instance one type of chemo was $350-$450 per month depending on weight of the month for 13 months) and borrowed money.
Just a little about Jeffrey's personal life beyond cancer. Jeffrey has two grown children that he is proud of and enjoys getting to spend time with whenever possible. They are trying to balance work and spending as much time with their father right now as possible. They have been helping in many areas to try and make things easier for him and create wonderful memories. He is also a Granddad to two Granddaughters and one Grandson. Anyone that meets Jeffrey usually learns very quickly all about his Grandchildren. They call him Dadad as the oldest Granddaughter decided as she reasoned that he was her Mommie's dad so that made him her double dad. Jeffrey put a full sized trampoline in the living room for the Grandchildren and always looks forward to trips to Busch Gardens to ride the rides with the kids. He wants to be a Grandparent like his Grandparents that he remembers very fondly and acknowledges had a large influence on his life.
Jeffrey is a Veteran that came originally from Florida and spent his military time with Special Operations on Fort Bragg and time on Hahn AirForce Base in Germany. He earned his Airborne wings in 1987. Jeffrey is very proud of his time spent serving his country and often tells various stories about this time period. After the military Jeffrey earned degrees in the IT field and became a programmer and HIPAA specialist. He has enjoyed his career with the State and can usually point out security issues pretty quickly and will tell whomever that they need fixed and why they need fixed.
Jeffrey also enjoys motorcycle trips and his Vulcan 2000 that can get him talking for hours about the bike and the bike trips. He also owns a Harley police interceptor that was given to him that he is very proud of and soon he will be giving to his son.
Jeffrey is also a cat rescuer. He has rescued 7 kitties that he truly treats like his children. They often sleep with him, two of them holler when he leaves the house, and at some point in the day each one spends time with him. He has a specific way people enter the house to assure his kitties do not escape into the dangerous outdoors and even when he has had to leave with EMS in an ambulance he tells us to do kitty inventory to ,are sure all kitties are safe inside.
At this time Jeffrey is unable to do much of what he has enjoyed up until cancer started affecting his mobility. His is very frustrated and often his eyes show his want to do what he wants to do and to be more active in his family life and with his hobbies and interests. Not being able to work has really frustrated him as he enjoyed and insisted until December in working as much as possible and has only stopped because it is no longer possible. His family is trying to keep up with his needs and keep him as comfortable as possible. As you can imagine financial worries and needs are sometimes very stressful in themselves and as we try to help his comfort and safety levels we would also like to try and remove some of the burden the finances have been created on Jeffrey and the family.
We appreciate any assistance with this that is possible. The goal set on here is based on getting the immediate concerns handled and because I did not know what to set it at and I have to admit trying to set a goal and ask for assistance is very hard and humbling. The total debt left after trying to pay as much as possible with savings and any money we could push towards these extra costs is now floating around $45,000. I would like to ask that if assisting us would create an issue for your own finances please do not donate.
Again anything is truly appreciated and helps in Jeffrey's fight against this horrible illness. Most of Jeffrey's friends will tell you he fights and fights hard. He has been an inspiration to many and tries to share his battle and also his life lessons along with trying to keep a sense of humor.
Organizer
Heather Poole
Organizer
Holly Springs, NC