Aid Scott's Cross-Country Trip to Loved Ones

Dear Friends and Kind Souls,

I’m reaching out today with a heavy heart and a request for support on behalf of my father, Scott Jones. He has been living with Ondine’s Curse that was brought on by a series of surgeries. It started with a shoulder surgery and ended with having nerves removed and a spinal leak. He quickly became unemployed; the only source of income and insurance was through his wife. While still in the hospital, she decided to leave him for an affair; leaving my father with no income and no insurance. Now, you may be wondering what exactly is Ondine’s Curse and just how terrible is it. Well Ondine's curse is acquired central hypoventilation syndrome, it is a rare disorder characterized by an inability to automatically regulate breathing during sleep This also leads to heart/organ failure, heart attacks, etc. that my father experiences on the daily. When he was first diagnosed with this he was given the option to sleep with a ventilator that will somewhat help during the night or have a tracheotomy; also he was told that he could only have a year to live.

My father has been dealing with this for 10+ years, both fortunate and unfortunate, which has made many aspects of life more difficult, but he’s always kept his spirit strong and his determination unwavering. Once his wife left, he was left with no possible way of finding medical help due to the no insurance part; along with her spending the marital assets and not accepting a divorce for several years later, our family home finally went into foreclosure.

After the foreclosure, a high school friend, James, was kind enough to give him a place to stay for a little while in Alabama with the end goal to eventually move to Seattle Washington, so he wasn’t homeless. With the very little money he got from the foreclosure, my father was able to purchase a decent RV that he renovated but hasn’t been road tested until he just departed Alabama. He is currently making the perilous trip of traveling across the country to Seattle to finally be surrounded by family that love him, get the medical help he has been deprived of for 10 years, and hopefully have a more peaceful and less hectic end of his life.

Only 4 hours on the road he got a nail in the side wall of his brand new tires that he and James just installed the week prior and a few belts in the engine broke. This has already broken his budget to continue to Seattle and is stuck west of Memphis until he can raise more money.

Besides the already few mishaps, due to his disability, driving long distances isn’t something he can do on his own, and it’s difficult to afford the necessary accommodations and assistance for such a trip. That’s why I’m asking for your help.

The goal is to raise $2,000 to cover:

-Travel expenses (gas, food, lodging)

- Assistance with travel (helping him safely get from one place to another)

-He can't sleep without electricity for his ventilator that his life depends on when he sleeps.

- Emergency funds for any unforeseen needs during the journey

This trip means so much to him, me, and the family/friends that he has in the PNW and a work in progress for years as well. We (Aunt Dee Dee, Aunt Sharon, his sister Jen, and myself) have all done everything we could up to this point to help but are running out of extra funds ourselves. Kris Jelinek, his life long friend, has been helping out as well in any way he can.

My father is one of the most selfless people out there and puts everyone else first, a rarity in these times, and over the past 10 years he has been put through hell and deserves to have a more dignified end to his life. Any contribution, big or small, would be incredibly appreciated. If you’re unable to donate, sharing this campaign with others or sending good thoughts our way would be just as valuable.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support and for helping make my father's dream come true.

With gratitude,

Michaela Jones