Main fundraiser photo

Give Jeremiah a Longer Life

Donation protected
Background

My husband and I got married in 2015, but his health issues had started long before then. By the time he was 25 in 2004, he weighed over 600 pounds, almost reaching the 700 pound mark. About 5 years later, after an intense and sudden pain, he had an emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder and appendix, and correct his intestines which they found out had been twisted since he was born. After the emergency surgery he was diagnosed with lymphedema, and sometime after his surgery he also had an umbilical hernia. Because of all this occurring, he managed to lose some weight by the time he was in his early 30’s but was still around 400 pounds.


Becoming “Husband” and “Daddy”

Although my husband was not the typical looking young man, I was charmed by him. To every person who knows him, he is the nicest guy in the world. He will sacrifice his time, energy, and even money to assist those in need. He is an incredible singer, formerly in a band, and a die-hard St Louis Cardinals fan. He loves his family and friends and is loyal to the core. His faith and trust that God will provide is at an incredible level that I can’t even fathom most days. So of course, I put a ring on it, and we got married in September 2015. Our first few years of marriage have felt like one large medical bill. That is an exaggeration, but the number of issues doctors have diagnosed him with seem to come one after the other. It started with a torn ACL and surgery. Then, a sleep study revealed sleep apnea- and the unromantic addition of a CPAP to our bedside table. There were small things like the prescription of a new water pill for the lymphedema, a powder that makes up for his missing gallbladder, and some small hormone and vitamin recommendations. Then, we were blessed with our son in September 2017 and all Jeremiah’s dreams came true- after the long, long years of waiting, singleness, watching friends grow families, HE was finally a dad. He loves his boy so much and Dada is his favorite title of all. 
 
Signs of trouble

Jeremiah had been able to stay ‘healthy’ according to blood work in the time I’ve known him. But in the last year, there have been two diagnoses/prescriptions that made us wake up and realize that his long time health issues are turning into big monsters.  This year his blood work started to show high sugar levels and he was put onto a medication to control that. With sugar and diabetes issues on both sides of our families, this could be bad news. Also, this year, he was put on a prescription for high blood pressure. That is not something that we’d ever seen come up, so that was a big indicator his body is not doing its job right. He isn’t even in his 40’s, but we began to worry that he might be able to see his son grow up; and our son is not yet 1 year old. In the past he had done an (expensive) diet from a doctor, we had tried just ‘eating right’ and exercising, but underlying problems of hunger, mood, low income, and unsustainability long term always interrupted the good we'd accomplish. In order for our much beloved husband and dada (and friend to you), Jeremiah, to make it to old age we needed something very drastic and immediate.
 
An extreme solution to a “big” problem

Let me start by saying, we didn’t even want to make a GoFundMe. Even with the background given, this is an extremely personal decision, one that is considered ‘elective’ and not emergency by many, and one that will surely be mocked. We are creating this at the request of family who know we need support even though we can be too proud to ask for help. After much thought and prayer, after asking counsel of many friends and family, after consulting with our family doctor and various other doctors, we have made a decision we hope is for the best. Jeremiah will be undergoing bariatric surgery this fall/winter to jump start the path to better health and a normal life. His case is a special one with previous abdominal surgery 10 years ago (it had to be presented to a conference of doctors!), so although the normal route for his size would be the most drastic “duodenal switch” type, due to high risks he will most likely undergo the simpler “gastric sleeve” surgery.  If you want to know any details, simply ask us!


How to Help

First, thank you for reading through our story, it shows you care enough to know what is going on.

-Prayer- What we need most is your prayers. This is a huge risk, it is a last effort after other efforts have failed, it requires huge changes to the body and eating habits and digestion routines. We cannot do it alone; we need the strength of the Lord, his provision, his healing hand. Prayer can move mountains. Specifically: Pray that the doctor’s hands are steady during surgery. Pray that recovery goes smoothly and there are no leaks, bleeding, clots, or other post-op big risks. Pray that Jer’s taste buds can survive the multiple weeks of clear liquid, then liquid only, diet immediately post op. Pray for his experiences in recovery, as he gets used to a smaller stomach and no appetite, that any sickness is a learning tool. Pray for our household, that we keep only healthy foods in our pantry and don’t tempt with sweets or meals out. Pray for us to remember to prep and shop for good food in the middle of our busy lives- instead of forgetting all week and settling on whatever is fast.

-Fellowship, accountability- We feel this could be a very isolating journey, considering how few people we know that have done it. If you have been through this, reach out to us; if your friend has been through this, connect us! We would love words of encouragement, shared time together, and empathy from everyone in our lives. Jeremiah could use a gym partner- that is not his wife- to work out alongside him as he gets to that point of recovery. We would love your recipes for small portions of protein- and vegetable- rich foods (that don’t require 20 minutes of chopping!), or maybe a dish delivered from your kitchen. Jer needs a ton of protein packed into small bites as he transitions to normal eating. We will need childcare assistance immediately post-op, when I return to work (Jeremiah can’t hold his son for 6 weeks!), and later, weekly as Jer goes to support groups.  

-Funds- The surgery center REQUIRES that we have cash, paid up front, to cover our estimated cost before the surgery is done; this is one of our main reasons for having a GoFundMe, we will need funds fast! We are blessed already in the fact that I (wife) was able to get a job with the state just a year ago, and our insurance (for state employees) is one of the few that covers this kind of surgery. What amazing timing God has, right? We are in a high deductible plan, but have already paid some money towards it with Jer’s multiple doctor appointments so far this year; the individual deductible is 5,500. Jer will be out of work for about 6 weeks, and I will be out a couple weeks to help him recover, so we are seeking aid for covering basics like gas, food, and bills during that time. Here is a breakdown of what we are seeking monetarily:

$4500- estimated deductible to cover (will update as I find out more)
$500- bills for the month, gas, food, specialized post-surgery food or items we may need
Anything above- will cover additional surgery costs not covered by insurance, gym membership for J, extra childcare needed, protein shakes, lost wages, etc. etc.

Conclusion

We feel some days like we lack things. We have put off home ownership and instead rent a room from family, we had our son but we are delaying growing our family more, we aren’t quite making the income we’d like to cover a normal life. But this situation tends to put it all in perspective. I would give up the income, the house, the vacations, for just ONE more day with my husband. We would give up our future hopes and big dreams, in order to be a family- mama, baby, daddy- for a little bit longer. I hope as you read our story and our needs that you share this sentiment as well. Please share this page with your friends and family, and join us in trying to give our beloved Jeremiah this one shot at a longer, healthier life. Thank you.
Donate

Donations 

  • Bruce and Linda Burditt
    • $90
    • 6 yrs
Donate

Organizer

Lindsay Allen
Organizer
Topeka, KS

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee