Jon Johnson Pancreatic Cancer Fight
Donation protected
My mother, Sharon Ogle, and I have created this campaign to help my sister Kelli and her husband Jon with their fight against cancer. Please read the following essay, written by Sharon, that beautifully describes Jon & his family and gives more details on his health crisis:
“I’ve never met anyone who knows Jon that doesn’t just love him," said Kelli, his devoted wife and my precious daughter! And why not? When you consider the way Jon is genuinely interested in people, very approachable and able to communicate with a broad range of diverse social backgrounds and in several languages, it's easy to see. Jon and Kelli’s oldest daughter, Savannah, once said “My Dad is able to deal with any situation. He just stays calm and knows what to do”. This admiration comes from a life of being willing to offer his knowledge, skills, finances and time to help others, whether it’s giving a hand to a friend or neighbor to complete a project, traveling on missions trips to build homes for the poor, donating his finances to worthy causes, doing repairs for his mother-in-law (me), or just lending a listening ear to friends and family. He has been in various supervisory positions and has always sincerely cared for those under his management. Jon’s children have always known, without question, that they could come to him about anything.
His recent diagnosis of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Cancer has stunned us all. Although this cancer is a slower growing type that makes up only 5% of pancreatic cancers, by the time it was diagnosed, the tumor had grown to the size of a baseball, over 9cm, intruding into the portal vein and encompassing two main arteries, making it inoperable, even to simply reduce the size. Additionally, he is not a candidate for radiation. He recently started chemotherapy, the only option that was presented. Even though there is not a good history of chemo being effective for this type of cancer, Jon & Kelli want to fight as aggressively as possible. We are trusting that he will be one of that small percentage for which the treatment is effective. We are comforted that many have already been offering prayer on his behalf, and he has already experienced a reduction in his pain level! We are so, so grateful!
We don’t know what the future holds for this dear, dear family. Jon will certainly be unable to work for an extended period of time, and Kelli will need to be home to care for him. Savannah is considering moving from Virginia Tech at the end of this semester to attend a college closer to home. Faith will be a High School Junior this coming fall, and Jake will be in his last year of middle school.
Thankfully, Jon has disability insurance that will assist with their finances; however, it is substantially short in covering their income previous to this crisis, to the tune of at least $4000 a month, not including the increased medical expenses. I want to put the need out there in the hope that those who love this family will rally together to show support in a tangible way. My husband and I have chosen to set up a monthly contribution that they can count on. This ongoing need seems daunting, yet I know that a burden shared becomes lighter. Whether you decide to do something monthly or one time, your loving gift will be received with great appreciation! Let’s hold them up together by helping to relieve the stress and allow them to focus on the fight for Jon’s life. Thank you so much in advance!
“I’ve never met anyone who knows Jon that doesn’t just love him," said Kelli, his devoted wife and my precious daughter! And why not? When you consider the way Jon is genuinely interested in people, very approachable and able to communicate with a broad range of diverse social backgrounds and in several languages, it's easy to see. Jon and Kelli’s oldest daughter, Savannah, once said “My Dad is able to deal with any situation. He just stays calm and knows what to do”. This admiration comes from a life of being willing to offer his knowledge, skills, finances and time to help others, whether it’s giving a hand to a friend or neighbor to complete a project, traveling on missions trips to build homes for the poor, donating his finances to worthy causes, doing repairs for his mother-in-law (me), or just lending a listening ear to friends and family. He has been in various supervisory positions and has always sincerely cared for those under his management. Jon’s children have always known, without question, that they could come to him about anything.
His recent diagnosis of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Cancer has stunned us all. Although this cancer is a slower growing type that makes up only 5% of pancreatic cancers, by the time it was diagnosed, the tumor had grown to the size of a baseball, over 9cm, intruding into the portal vein and encompassing two main arteries, making it inoperable, even to simply reduce the size. Additionally, he is not a candidate for radiation. He recently started chemotherapy, the only option that was presented. Even though there is not a good history of chemo being effective for this type of cancer, Jon & Kelli want to fight as aggressively as possible. We are trusting that he will be one of that small percentage for which the treatment is effective. We are comforted that many have already been offering prayer on his behalf, and he has already experienced a reduction in his pain level! We are so, so grateful!
We don’t know what the future holds for this dear, dear family. Jon will certainly be unable to work for an extended period of time, and Kelli will need to be home to care for him. Savannah is considering moving from Virginia Tech at the end of this semester to attend a college closer to home. Faith will be a High School Junior this coming fall, and Jake will be in his last year of middle school.
Thankfully, Jon has disability insurance that will assist with their finances; however, it is substantially short in covering their income previous to this crisis, to the tune of at least $4000 a month, not including the increased medical expenses. I want to put the need out there in the hope that those who love this family will rally together to show support in a tangible way. My husband and I have chosen to set up a monthly contribution that they can count on. This ongoing need seems daunting, yet I know that a burden shared becomes lighter. Whether you decide to do something monthly or one time, your loving gift will be received with great appreciation! Let’s hold them up together by helping to relieve the stress and allow them to focus on the fight for Jon’s life. Thank you so much in advance!
Organizer and beneficiary
Rhonda Tuley
Organizer
Olcott, TX
Jonathan Johnson
Beneficiary