Jordan's Journey with MS
Donation protected
Jordan's Journey with MS
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Think about everything you did today...even the stuff you didn't want to do....you did it because it made you happy or someone you love happy or helped you buy something or save for something that will someday make you happy.....
Picture the happy....you can see it...you can hear it...but you are locked behind a glass wall... You know what it feels like to work a full day at a job you love...or even a job you hate...... What it feels like to play tag in the hot sun with your kids....to sweep your wife off her feet....to wrestle with your brothers....but suddenly a glass wall separates you from everything you ever loved doing.... All you have are memories....memories that have become too painful to remember because you honestly are not sure if you will ever be able to replace them with new ones. That cruel glass wall is called MS. No one chooses to get locked behind the wall....it is what it is....but if you are there now... Do. Not. Give. Up. The only way to break thru MS is to break down the glass wall.... You. Must. Fight. Every. Day. One crack at a time!Author ~ Megan Watson
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Jordan & Megan thought 2013 was a rough year....and prayed for easier times this past New Year Eve. Last year they survived numerous severe basement floods....Megan and the girls were in a scary car wreak....cars broke down...sickness hit the kids back to back to back....it just seemed endless! It broke my heart but I assured them it would get better....it had to right? But then on January 29th of 2014 something happened that made all their problems seem easy.
Jordan came home from UPS in the worst pain of his life....yet he hadn't been injured. For 2 weeks he had back spasms so bad that he had to crawl to the bathroom. At one point Megan told me the pain she saw was 10 times worst than child birth! After a few weeks the pain let up somewhat....he could manage to walk ...with help....to the bathroom. In an attempt to provide for his family Jordan insisted he could work...so he went back....but things just got worse. One day after watching him physically lift his legs out of the car and shake so bad he could barely put one foot in front of the next....Megan forced him to go to the doctor. They immediately put him off work and set an appointment with a back specialist.
While they sat in the waiting room at the specialist office, Megan texted me nervously. They knew something was wrong....a disk...a cyst....a tumor....but they were not prepared for what the Dr said. While their little girls sat on the floor and colored....Jordan and Megan sat quietly and tried to absorb the hardest news of their lives. The back specialist was almost certain Jordan had multiple sclerosis.... An autoimmune disease where the body's immune cells attack the nerves in the spine and brain. The nerves under attack are some of the most important because they control everything walking thinking digestive pain etc etc. Every case of MS is different and even for one person with MS every day is different...some days are manageable while others are so bad just getting out of bed is a challenge.
Jordans shaking (at this point so bad he had to hold onto a wall or door to keep from falling) that they thought was a result of back pain was actually from his body attacking his nerves....breaking down the protective coating that makes it possible to do everything from pick up a pencil to take a step. Megan called me and said ...."they think its MS....they are doing a brain and spine MRI asap.....Mom ASAP means its bad doesn't it? How could this happen to him....he is the strongest man I know....I love him so much...why him?!" I didn't know what to say....it felt like the world stopped spinning.
The MRI was preformed on a Friday night in late march ...we all held out hope that the Dr was wrong....but in a dark waiting room....with his little girl asleep on his lap...technitions explained the results. Jordan has lesions on his spinal cord in his neck and back as well as in his brain.....
Without even time to absorb the blow, Jordan was hit with the reality of MS..... They wanted to admit him for IV medication NOW. "Can't we wait...come back Monday....we need to put the kids to bed....". Things were much more serious than Megan and Jordan realized....every minute left untreated was increased damage to his central nervous system. They had to push high doses of steroids ASAP to try and reduce the inflammation in his CNS caused by the MS. Doctors didn't know if his symptoms ...tremors in his legs ... horrible loss of balance ... severe flu-like fatigue ... dizzyness ... blackouts ... digestive and kidney problems....sporic yet severe pain (shoulder, knee, neck, back, etc) would be permanent....if they were reversible they knew it would take time...a lot of time.
The back specialist sent Jordan to Cleveland clinic where a neurologist officially diagnosed him with MS. During his first appointment they were given so much information...statistics, drug info, prognosis....but what was the hardest for Jordan was learning he would be off work for a while. It wasn't optional...if he ever wanted to return to UPS he had to take time to heal the damage already done and start meds to prevent future damage. The Dr told him he would never be "all better" but that they could manage symptoms and in time she believes he will return to work...his brown truck...packages and a route that he knows by heart.
The road has been rough....at times it seems like there isn't even a path...but Jordan and Megan are fighting hard to get him ahead of this disease. They have always lived a healthy life...gardening and hunting...but now that they know about the MS they have really focused on reducing the chemicals in their lives. Eating right and reducing stress play a HUGE role in the life of someone with MS. Megan is trying hard to only cook organic and to reduce Jordan's stress in any way possible. Their whole family is praying for them and helping financially as much as possible but we need help. We want to remove as much burden as possible from Jordan's shoulders.
They rent a little house in the country which is the definition of peace....but it is expensive ....its way beyond the 171 dollar disability checks Jordan receives....a tiny fraction of his driver salary. While they struggle more than people think...they never ask for help!
Jordan’s financial need for his family hit me when my husband and I went to Cleveland Clinic with Jordan.
My husband was there to help him in if needed and I was there to watch the kids so that they did not have to go sit through the grueling tests and doctor appointments. Especially their oldest....only 6 but wise beyond her age. Jordan has always been and will always be their hero...... He didn't want the details of this terrible disease to scare his little girls.
That day Jordan could barely walk across the room, but he still held the door for Megan....
It was in that moment, seeing the 4 ppl I love more than my own life vulnerable yet struggling so hard to be strong, I knew we had to find a way to help.
I calculated his need for a year....the neurologist told him damage like what was done to his nerves by untreated MS can take years to recover from, but he is a fighter. $54,765 will cover trips to Cleveland clinic appointments ..... gas..... car rental…MASSIVE supplements.. Jordan's part on prescriptions and medical treatment.....help with the MS diet (wahls protocol) growing, canning and buying chemical free food and the basic .. VERY basic needs to keep the kids going until Jordan can get this horrible disease under control. Megan is determined that "better but never as good as before MS" isn't good enough... Jordan deserves to be %100. She is constantly researching ways to reverse the damage via a special diet, supplements, reducing stress, therapy, medication and maybe one day stem cell treatments!
By helping him with this financial need we are giving him the tools to help his body - physically and mentally- rebuild itself and fight back against the MS … your donations along with ANY and ALL prayers will at some point in the future ensure he is able to go back to work. Bless his heart .....all he keeps saying is that he has got to get better so he can go back to work and provide for his family. He doesn't want for anything other than the happiness of Megan, Kaylee & Kyleigh.....his world.....
Megan is a full time mom and an extremely talented but part time writer..... they have somehow survived the last couple months.... selling what they don't need and growing/making as much of the things they do need in an effort to save money.
I know times are tough for everyone but if we pull together for him ...a lot of people giving a little is all we need...we can take away the financial stress and help Jordan as he fights to get back the life he deserves....the life MS is trying to take from him.
From the time they were kids I have watched Jordan and Megan grow together. Jordan's world revolves around Megan and his 2 little girls, Kaylee & Kyleigh. He works harder than most men and he always reaches out to help those in need of a hand. Now he needs help more than ever before. Donate what you can and know that it will be greatly appreciated, and if you can't donate please share it with your friends and family and please send up prayer for Jordan for the strength to walk this journey....he didn't chose this path but now that he is on it I know he will use it to help people. I honestly have no idea how...but Jordan and Megan always find a way to dance in the rain.
Megan writes a weekly column for her local news, the Ada Herald. I am attaching them here because many of them shed light into the daily struggles of someone with MS.
PLEASE SHARE HIS STORY WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW!
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
Dee Stocker
............................................................
Think about everything you did today...even the stuff you didn't want to do....you did it because it made you happy or someone you love happy or helped you buy something or save for something that will someday make you happy.....
Picture the happy....you can see it...you can hear it...but you are locked behind a glass wall... You know what it feels like to work a full day at a job you love...or even a job you hate...... What it feels like to play tag in the hot sun with your kids....to sweep your wife off her feet....to wrestle with your brothers....but suddenly a glass wall separates you from everything you ever loved doing.... All you have are memories....memories that have become too painful to remember because you honestly are not sure if you will ever be able to replace them with new ones. That cruel glass wall is called MS. No one chooses to get locked behind the wall....it is what it is....but if you are there now... Do. Not. Give. Up. The only way to break thru MS is to break down the glass wall.... You. Must. Fight. Every. Day. One crack at a time!Author ~ Megan Watson
.............................. .............................. ......
Jordan & Megan thought 2013 was a rough year....and prayed for easier times this past New Year Eve. Last year they survived numerous severe basement floods....Megan and the girls were in a scary car wreak....cars broke down...sickness hit the kids back to back to back....it just seemed endless! It broke my heart but I assured them it would get better....it had to right? But then on January 29th of 2014 something happened that made all their problems seem easy.
Jordan came home from UPS in the worst pain of his life....yet he hadn't been injured. For 2 weeks he had back spasms so bad that he had to crawl to the bathroom. At one point Megan told me the pain she saw was 10 times worst than child birth! After a few weeks the pain let up somewhat....he could manage to walk ...with help....to the bathroom. In an attempt to provide for his family Jordan insisted he could work...so he went back....but things just got worse. One day after watching him physically lift his legs out of the car and shake so bad he could barely put one foot in front of the next....Megan forced him to go to the doctor. They immediately put him off work and set an appointment with a back specialist.
While they sat in the waiting room at the specialist office, Megan texted me nervously. They knew something was wrong....a disk...a cyst....a tumor....but they were not prepared for what the Dr said. While their little girls sat on the floor and colored....Jordan and Megan sat quietly and tried to absorb the hardest news of their lives. The back specialist was almost certain Jordan had multiple sclerosis.... An autoimmune disease where the body's immune cells attack the nerves in the spine and brain. The nerves under attack are some of the most important because they control everything walking thinking digestive pain etc etc. Every case of MS is different and even for one person with MS every day is different...some days are manageable while others are so bad just getting out of bed is a challenge.
Jordans shaking (at this point so bad he had to hold onto a wall or door to keep from falling) that they thought was a result of back pain was actually from his body attacking his nerves....breaking down the protective coating that makes it possible to do everything from pick up a pencil to take a step. Megan called me and said ...."they think its MS....they are doing a brain and spine MRI asap.....Mom ASAP means its bad doesn't it? How could this happen to him....he is the strongest man I know....I love him so much...why him?!" I didn't know what to say....it felt like the world stopped spinning.
The MRI was preformed on a Friday night in late march ...we all held out hope that the Dr was wrong....but in a dark waiting room....with his little girl asleep on his lap...technitions explained the results. Jordan has lesions on his spinal cord in his neck and back as well as in his brain.....
Without even time to absorb the blow, Jordan was hit with the reality of MS..... They wanted to admit him for IV medication NOW. "Can't we wait...come back Monday....we need to put the kids to bed....". Things were much more serious than Megan and Jordan realized....every minute left untreated was increased damage to his central nervous system. They had to push high doses of steroids ASAP to try and reduce the inflammation in his CNS caused by the MS. Doctors didn't know if his symptoms ...tremors in his legs ... horrible loss of balance ... severe flu-like fatigue ... dizzyness ... blackouts ... digestive and kidney problems....sporic yet severe pain (shoulder, knee, neck, back, etc) would be permanent....if they were reversible they knew it would take time...a lot of time.
The back specialist sent Jordan to Cleveland clinic where a neurologist officially diagnosed him with MS. During his first appointment they were given so much information...statistics, drug info, prognosis....but what was the hardest for Jordan was learning he would be off work for a while. It wasn't optional...if he ever wanted to return to UPS he had to take time to heal the damage already done and start meds to prevent future damage. The Dr told him he would never be "all better" but that they could manage symptoms and in time she believes he will return to work...his brown truck...packages and a route that he knows by heart.
The road has been rough....at times it seems like there isn't even a path...but Jordan and Megan are fighting hard to get him ahead of this disease. They have always lived a healthy life...gardening and hunting...but now that they know about the MS they have really focused on reducing the chemicals in their lives. Eating right and reducing stress play a HUGE role in the life of someone with MS. Megan is trying hard to only cook organic and to reduce Jordan's stress in any way possible. Their whole family is praying for them and helping financially as much as possible but we need help. We want to remove as much burden as possible from Jordan's shoulders.
They rent a little house in the country which is the definition of peace....but it is expensive ....its way beyond the 171 dollar disability checks Jordan receives....a tiny fraction of his driver salary. While they struggle more than people think...they never ask for help!
Jordan’s financial need for his family hit me when my husband and I went to Cleveland Clinic with Jordan.
My husband was there to help him in if needed and I was there to watch the kids so that they did not have to go sit through the grueling tests and doctor appointments. Especially their oldest....only 6 but wise beyond her age. Jordan has always been and will always be their hero...... He didn't want the details of this terrible disease to scare his little girls.
That day Jordan could barely walk across the room, but he still held the door for Megan....
It was in that moment, seeing the 4 ppl I love more than my own life vulnerable yet struggling so hard to be strong, I knew we had to find a way to help.
I calculated his need for a year....the neurologist told him damage like what was done to his nerves by untreated MS can take years to recover from, but he is a fighter. $54,765 will cover trips to Cleveland clinic appointments ..... gas..... car rental…MASSIVE supplements.. Jordan's part on prescriptions and medical treatment.....help with the MS diet (wahls protocol) growing, canning and buying chemical free food and the basic .. VERY basic needs to keep the kids going until Jordan can get this horrible disease under control. Megan is determined that "better but never as good as before MS" isn't good enough... Jordan deserves to be %100. She is constantly researching ways to reverse the damage via a special diet, supplements, reducing stress, therapy, medication and maybe one day stem cell treatments!
By helping him with this financial need we are giving him the tools to help his body - physically and mentally- rebuild itself and fight back against the MS … your donations along with ANY and ALL prayers will at some point in the future ensure he is able to go back to work. Bless his heart .....all he keeps saying is that he has got to get better so he can go back to work and provide for his family. He doesn't want for anything other than the happiness of Megan, Kaylee & Kyleigh.....his world.....
Megan is a full time mom and an extremely talented but part time writer..... they have somehow survived the last couple months.... selling what they don't need and growing/making as much of the things they do need in an effort to save money.
I know times are tough for everyone but if we pull together for him ...a lot of people giving a little is all we need...we can take away the financial stress and help Jordan as he fights to get back the life he deserves....the life MS is trying to take from him.
From the time they were kids I have watched Jordan and Megan grow together. Jordan's world revolves around Megan and his 2 little girls, Kaylee & Kyleigh. He works harder than most men and he always reaches out to help those in need of a hand. Now he needs help more than ever before. Donate what you can and know that it will be greatly appreciated, and if you can't donate please share it with your friends and family and please send up prayer for Jordan for the strength to walk this journey....he didn't chose this path but now that he is on it I know he will use it to help people. I honestly have no idea how...but Jordan and Megan always find a way to dance in the rain.
Megan writes a weekly column for her local news, the Ada Herald. I am attaching them here because many of them shed light into the daily struggles of someone with MS.
PLEASE SHARE HIS STORY WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW!
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
Dee Stocker
Organizer
Dee Stocker
Organizer
