Alleviate Financial Burden for the Rohlwing Family

As some of you know, this past September John was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), which is an extremely rare, devastating, and fatal brain disorder that causes rapid mental deterioration and memory loss. It seems like a gross understatement to say that this diagnosis has changed John’s life and the lives of his family and friends forever.

Before this unfathomable diagnosis irreparably altered the course of their lives, Ally and John were living out their dreams together. On their very first date at NYC’s Leyla Bar in 2011 John and Ally, both one of six children, quickly discovered an invaluable commonality: Family. For each of them, family had always been a cornerstone, the nucleus of their social life, a fundamental reason for being, the shelter from any storm. Together they could build upon that cornerstone and eventually would with four boys of their own. Callahan (age 9) loves collecting baseball cards and building Legos; Archie (age 7) is a soccer goalie with dreams of becoming a professional surfer; Winnie (age 5) is a world-class snuggler (whose favorite spot is next to John); Ozzie (age 2) is a cheerful toddler whose world currently revolves around the dad who reads to him every night and tucks him in with his favorite lullaby.

While the four boys continue to thrive, John’s CJD diagnosis is a storm that threatens to consume the shelter he and Ally have worked so hard to build, and life as they know it is tenuous at best. CJD has robbed John of his ability to work, not just at the job he loved but at all. Ally has had to sacrifice her dream job as a stay-at-home mom and return to the corporate world full-time to support the family financially. John’s prognosis is grim, and he will likely need constant care in a matter of months as he becomes rapidly unable to take care of himself or even remember the wife and sons he had hoped to live out a long life with.

John and Ally’s siblings have stepped in for help with things such as childcare, cooking, and laundry, but the truth is that the financial realities the Rohlwings are facing now and in the future are crushing, so we are asking for help in an attempt to alleviate even some of the financial burden ahead.

We created this space for those who know John to offer support and we truly appreciate anything you can give.