Join Jeff's battle
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Jeff hasn't had it easy. Many wonder how one person could be struck with such bad luck. It doesn't seem fair. It doesn't seem right. We hope for answers someday but in the meantime we hope for life.
In 1970, Jeff was born into a loving family in Bolton, Mass. They eventually relocated their home to Littleton where he lived until he was 30 years old. At the age of 4 1/2, Jeff battled Leukemia and beat the odds-- only to learn that the same care that saved his life may be doing just the opposite 40+ years later.
Jeff grew up feeling lucky. Lucky to be alive. He grew up like any other kid in the 70s/80s. He loved his Atari, Nintendo, games of kick the ball, flashlight tag, bike riding, swimming, and baseball with the neighborhood kids. He also loved spending time with his cousins. As a sibling growing up in the bedroom across from his, there's a lot that I could say about Jeff. Whether I liked it or not, I was destined to know every word to every song sung by the rock band KISS (his favorite band). He had a slight case of OCD and washed his hands more than anyone I knew. If he had it his way, he would have lived off of pizza and Cheerios. I swear, that's all he ever wanted to eat. In Highschool, Jeff was a good kid. He enjoyed being around his circle of friends playing cards and listening to music. He wasn't at all of the parties getting drunk. That wasn't really his thing. He didn't frown upon it. He was just quiet and not into big crowds. Thinking about it more, I can't recall ever seeing him take a sip of alcohol? Strange but true and ironic once you learn what he is suffering from today.
Jeff enjoyed living at home with his parents through his 20s. Who wouldn't? He had an Italian mother who took care of him; did his laundry, made him delicious meals, made his bed every morning and treated him like she always did growing up. Not to mention, he and our father were very close (they still are!). They share the same hobby, antique car restoration and they spent much of their time together looking through want ads and going to shows. We often wondered if he would ever leave the house and finally settle down with someone. He didnt have much of an interest until he met Michelle. That was where it changed. Jeff was in love. He was ready. Jeff and Michelle bought a house together in 2002 and got married in 2004. It was a beautiful wedding. Their life together was just beginning. They had many goals for this new life together. One was to go on an Alaskan Cruise for their 10 year wedding anniversary (which they did in the Fall of 2014). Another was to maybe have a child someday. I am happy to say that they are fostering (foster started in Feb of 2015) and hoping to adopt their daughter, Joanie in the near future. She is a beautiful 7 year old with a big personality. It feels like she has been with them since the beginning. Joanie has grown quite attached to her new family and her 2 dogs. Sadly, Jeff's illness progressed shortly after fostering her and it has taken a turn for the worse over the past few months.
I am sure you are wondering what his illness is so I will explain. Jeff always went for annual physicals throughout his life. His doctors told him that his liver enzymes were elevated on and off as long as he can remember. He never really questioned it and figured it was from his Leukemia. Another characteristic about Jeff. He doesn't ask questions. Though he wondered if this could possibly be something serious, he trusted that the doctors would have informed him. It wasn't until he switched doctors in 2006 when his new doctor saw that his liver enzymes were elevated and suggested further testing, which showed that Jeff had Hepatitis C, genotype 4, the most aggressive strain.
He knew very little about HepC and couldn't fathom how this could be. He barely drank and never used drugs. He was a neurotic hand washer. How could this happen? The stigma attached to HepC is that only alcoholics, drug users and hookers get this disease. But, his doctors, and Michelle’s research, explained that it is a blood borne disease that is currently an epidemic with “Baby Boomers” in the US due to a tainted blood supply in the 60s and 70s, when hospitals simply sanitized and reused needles. At that time, there weren’t even tests for Hepatitis C. His doctors suspect that he contracted the virus when he was getting treated for Leukemia. Further speculation is that it could have been caused by the bone marrow transplant itself. We will never know for sure.
Unfortunately, there are limited approved treatments available for this type of Hep C. After many doctor appointments and insurance battles, Jeff was finally put on one of the most successful drug combinations available at the time. As he understood it, this treatment had a 95% effective rate. He was very hopeful; we all were. And, after 6 months of being on it,his doctor informed him that there was NO VIRAL LOAD in the last tests that they ran. We were all elated! But, he’d have to continue being tested for a year before they considered him “cured”. During this period, Jeff was starting to show symptoms of liver disease and, after one hospitalization, came to realize that it had progressed to Stage 4 liver disease, also know as Cirrhosis of the liver. We all prayed that, with the HepC “gone”, things would improve. Unfortunately, at his 6-month follow-up appointment, he learned that the Hep C was “back”. When a devastated Jeff and Michelle went in to find out how it could “come back”, the Doctor explained that the testing wasn’t sophisticated enough to detect viral loads below a certain level. So, while it appeared to be gone, it was only “undetectable”. He further explained that the 95% effective rate was for the patients with the most healthy livers. But with his Cirrhosis, there was a much lower success rate. Catch 22!
At this point, the doctor informed him that he’d have to wait a year before trying another treatment because back-to-back treatments may cause the virus to become resistant to treatment. The only other drug out out there approved for this type of Hep C is too similar to the first treatment, which may make it ineffective. So, while he waited for another treatment to be approved, his doctor monitored his Cirhossis. Last week, Jeff was told that his tests show his liver has become so bad, that he needs a liver transplant and has an appointment with a transplant specialist, who will put Jeff on the transplant list to wait for a viable match. The only good news is that the liver is one of the only organs that can regenerate, so a transplant requires only a portion of a liver. So, some members of our family are looking into our own blood types to see if we can become “living donors”.
Why the Go Fund me? Yes, Jeff will soon be on a list, and we pray for success. However, in the meantime with his deteriorating condition, it's become very difficult for him to work. In fact, his doctors are strongly suggesting that he stop. When this happens and he goes on disability, his income will be drastically reduced. Medical costs are piling up (and will be even more when home healthcare is involved), and Jeff is no longer able to contribute his budgeted share on the mortgage and household needs. Not to mention, he has been having a lot of pain in his joints, muscles and therefore has been immobile a lot of the time. We recently learned that with all of this happening, they could lose their house! This hurts and has everyone in the family wanting to help somehow. Not only are they facing the unbelievable scare of Jeff's health but they are also anxious about what's in store for them financially. This should be the last thing on their minds at such a trying time. This was the driving force for us to create this page for them. If our family can help and share his story with friends and friends of friends, maybe that financial burden can no longer be a thought in their mind. And they can focus on what's most important--Jeff's life!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for reading Jeff's story and considering a donation. ❤
In 1970, Jeff was born into a loving family in Bolton, Mass. They eventually relocated their home to Littleton where he lived until he was 30 years old. At the age of 4 1/2, Jeff battled Leukemia and beat the odds-- only to learn that the same care that saved his life may be doing just the opposite 40+ years later.
Jeff grew up feeling lucky. Lucky to be alive. He grew up like any other kid in the 70s/80s. He loved his Atari, Nintendo, games of kick the ball, flashlight tag, bike riding, swimming, and baseball with the neighborhood kids. He also loved spending time with his cousins. As a sibling growing up in the bedroom across from his, there's a lot that I could say about Jeff. Whether I liked it or not, I was destined to know every word to every song sung by the rock band KISS (his favorite band). He had a slight case of OCD and washed his hands more than anyone I knew. If he had it his way, he would have lived off of pizza and Cheerios. I swear, that's all he ever wanted to eat. In Highschool, Jeff was a good kid. He enjoyed being around his circle of friends playing cards and listening to music. He wasn't at all of the parties getting drunk. That wasn't really his thing. He didn't frown upon it. He was just quiet and not into big crowds. Thinking about it more, I can't recall ever seeing him take a sip of alcohol? Strange but true and ironic once you learn what he is suffering from today.
Jeff enjoyed living at home with his parents through his 20s. Who wouldn't? He had an Italian mother who took care of him; did his laundry, made him delicious meals, made his bed every morning and treated him like she always did growing up. Not to mention, he and our father were very close (they still are!). They share the same hobby, antique car restoration and they spent much of their time together looking through want ads and going to shows. We often wondered if he would ever leave the house and finally settle down with someone. He didnt have much of an interest until he met Michelle. That was where it changed. Jeff was in love. He was ready. Jeff and Michelle bought a house together in 2002 and got married in 2004. It was a beautiful wedding. Their life together was just beginning. They had many goals for this new life together. One was to go on an Alaskan Cruise for their 10 year wedding anniversary (which they did in the Fall of 2014). Another was to maybe have a child someday. I am happy to say that they are fostering (foster started in Feb of 2015) and hoping to adopt their daughter, Joanie in the near future. She is a beautiful 7 year old with a big personality. It feels like she has been with them since the beginning. Joanie has grown quite attached to her new family and her 2 dogs. Sadly, Jeff's illness progressed shortly after fostering her and it has taken a turn for the worse over the past few months.
I am sure you are wondering what his illness is so I will explain. Jeff always went for annual physicals throughout his life. His doctors told him that his liver enzymes were elevated on and off as long as he can remember. He never really questioned it and figured it was from his Leukemia. Another characteristic about Jeff. He doesn't ask questions. Though he wondered if this could possibly be something serious, he trusted that the doctors would have informed him. It wasn't until he switched doctors in 2006 when his new doctor saw that his liver enzymes were elevated and suggested further testing, which showed that Jeff had Hepatitis C, genotype 4, the most aggressive strain.
He knew very little about HepC and couldn't fathom how this could be. He barely drank and never used drugs. He was a neurotic hand washer. How could this happen? The stigma attached to HepC is that only alcoholics, drug users and hookers get this disease. But, his doctors, and Michelle’s research, explained that it is a blood borne disease that is currently an epidemic with “Baby Boomers” in the US due to a tainted blood supply in the 60s and 70s, when hospitals simply sanitized and reused needles. At that time, there weren’t even tests for Hepatitis C. His doctors suspect that he contracted the virus when he was getting treated for Leukemia. Further speculation is that it could have been caused by the bone marrow transplant itself. We will never know for sure.
Unfortunately, there are limited approved treatments available for this type of Hep C. After many doctor appointments and insurance battles, Jeff was finally put on one of the most successful drug combinations available at the time. As he understood it, this treatment had a 95% effective rate. He was very hopeful; we all were. And, after 6 months of being on it,his doctor informed him that there was NO VIRAL LOAD in the last tests that they ran. We were all elated! But, he’d have to continue being tested for a year before they considered him “cured”. During this period, Jeff was starting to show symptoms of liver disease and, after one hospitalization, came to realize that it had progressed to Stage 4 liver disease, also know as Cirrhosis of the liver. We all prayed that, with the HepC “gone”, things would improve. Unfortunately, at his 6-month follow-up appointment, he learned that the Hep C was “back”. When a devastated Jeff and Michelle went in to find out how it could “come back”, the Doctor explained that the testing wasn’t sophisticated enough to detect viral loads below a certain level. So, while it appeared to be gone, it was only “undetectable”. He further explained that the 95% effective rate was for the patients with the most healthy livers. But with his Cirrhosis, there was a much lower success rate. Catch 22!
At this point, the doctor informed him that he’d have to wait a year before trying another treatment because back-to-back treatments may cause the virus to become resistant to treatment. The only other drug out out there approved for this type of Hep C is too similar to the first treatment, which may make it ineffective. So, while he waited for another treatment to be approved, his doctor monitored his Cirhossis. Last week, Jeff was told that his tests show his liver has become so bad, that he needs a liver transplant and has an appointment with a transplant specialist, who will put Jeff on the transplant list to wait for a viable match. The only good news is that the liver is one of the only organs that can regenerate, so a transplant requires only a portion of a liver. So, some members of our family are looking into our own blood types to see if we can become “living donors”.
Why the Go Fund me? Yes, Jeff will soon be on a list, and we pray for success. However, in the meantime with his deteriorating condition, it's become very difficult for him to work. In fact, his doctors are strongly suggesting that he stop. When this happens and he goes on disability, his income will be drastically reduced. Medical costs are piling up (and will be even more when home healthcare is involved), and Jeff is no longer able to contribute his budgeted share on the mortgage and household needs. Not to mention, he has been having a lot of pain in his joints, muscles and therefore has been immobile a lot of the time. We recently learned that with all of this happening, they could lose their house! This hurts and has everyone in the family wanting to help somehow. Not only are they facing the unbelievable scare of Jeff's health but they are also anxious about what's in store for them financially. This should be the last thing on their minds at such a trying time. This was the driving force for us to create this page for them. If our family can help and share his story with friends and friends of friends, maybe that financial burden can no longer be a thought in their mind. And they can focus on what's most important--Jeff's life!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for reading Jeff's story and considering a donation. ❤
Organizer and beneficiary
Lisa Alphen
Organizer
Leominster, MA
Michelle Temple-Frizzell
Beneficiary