Help Heal Matt Hallock and Family
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Hello dear friends, family, and future friends. Thank you to all of you who have encouraged us, pushed us higher, and called out the good that God has put in us...even during times when sickness made it hard to see that any good was there.
It has been a few years now since we were publicly sharing details of my health with our friends, family and network. And here's why: We don't want sickness and doctors and treatments to define our lives. God has put a lot more inside us than just that. And to be honest, most of the time we'd rather talk about other dreams and projects, things we know God put us here to do. Thinks like:
--Corrie's book
--Rebecca's dance
--Our Steadfast Marriage ministry
--My newly started Masculine Christian writing endeavors
--My new High School English teaching adventure
These are the things that drive us. They are what God has put us here to do.
But friends, it's time for me to talk about my health again. This disease is serious right now, and truthfully, we could use your support.
For those of you who don't know our story, it's pretty long. So in case you don't have the time to read the whole thing, here are the bullet points for you.
----------------------
BULLET POINTS
----------------------
1) I have battled a severe, aggressive case of autoimmune arthritis all over my body for 11 years. Was bed-ridden at one point...unable to function let alone work.
2) After 9 years of searching for curative treatments, we've spent the last two years at Stanford receiving heavy duty, dangerous drugs that had been doing a great job at alleviating the symptoms...but not CURING my body.
3) Those treatments...the MOST POWERFUL ones known to our conventional medicine system are not working anymore. And my pain, inflammation, immobility, weight-loss are rushing back aggressively.
4) Leading up to May, I was teaching full time as a High School English teacher (loving it and loving being ABLE to work). This helped us be able to rent our OWN HOME for the first time in 8 years. My girls have their own yard for the first time ever.
5) But my body is getting worse quickly and Stanford is about out of ideas. I can barely get up in the morning. Can't put on socks. Can't brush my teeth. Lots of pain. If school were back in session, I wouldn't be able to work. School starts in August, and I don't know if I will be able to return to teaching at that time.
6) I am also currently stuck on a drug called Prednisone, which is a steroid with serious side effects. It is eating away my bones, skin, and other connective tissues, but it keeps my pain down.
7) This is urgent. My body is getting worse quickly and we want to do SOMEthing to help me be able to work in August.
8) HOW YOU CAN HELP
--Donate to our fund any amount you feel able to
--Sharing this GoFundMe campaign with anyone you can think of who might have the heart and resources to
invest in our family.
----------------------
THE FULL STORY
----------------------
STANFORD TREATMENTS
Almost two years ago exactly, Corrie and I decided on a huge shift. For the 9 years prior, we had gone down every route we could find looking for a way to actually cure my body. We changed our nutrition (which we are thankful for and still embrace whole-heartedly). We traveled to a doctor in Nevada...twice.
We attacked Lyme Disease, mycoplasma infection, used anything we could find to make headway.
But my body still got worse. And it got to the point where I was taking 40mg per day of Prednisone in order to manage my pain and inflammation.
At that point, two years ago, my current doctor said I needed to go see a standard rheumatologist and get the standard rheumatology drugs. That may be the only thing that would bring relief.
So I went to Stanford, met an amazing doctor, and together we decided on my starting Remicade infusions. This is the. most. powerful. treatment option in the tool belt of standard conventional rheumatology.
And for eight months, it worked beautifully. I was able to decrease my Prednisone down to 2mg per day. But then suddenly my body started resisting the Remicade, and my pain and inflammation came back.
So we tried many of the other drugs in their tool belt...none of which did anything. And after 2ish months, we went back to Remicade which again helped for another 8 months or so...until this last May.
BUILDING A NEW LIFE FOR OUR FAMILY
But before May hit, while that treatment was working, Corrie and I and our two girls (and dog) finally started to feel like we were getting to live a normal life.
Last January, I applied for and immediately received a teaching position at my old High School teaching freshmen English. This was the first real job I had been able to work in about 6 years. And I was nervous about whether I'd be able to physically handle the schedule, but we went for it.
I loved it. As near as I can tell, my students loved me too. They asked if I could teach sophomore English next year. They'd say I was their favorite teacher.
I shared Jesus with them daily. I prayed for them. I saw Jesus heal them. And I've been planning with the administration a chapel venue that I could lead next year aimed at discipling the young men to be strong, confident, God-on-fire men ready to bring value to their world.
Also, right after my starting teaching, we were able to move out of living with family and finally rent our first own home in 8 years. This is where we are now, and we love it. It's been a dream of ours that has felt so out of reach during the times when I could hardly get out of bed.
Here's the girls playing in their first ever backyard :)
The feeling of finally giving my family a home is amazing. I've been working hard both teaching and running my already existing side-business coaching students on the SAT in order to get our feet under us after these many years of dealing financially with this disease.
THE CURRENT STATE OF MATT'S HEALTH
But then, this past May, the treatments I'm getting at Stanford, the most powerful option they know of, started not working again. And this time, my pain and inflammation started raging back faster and harder than before.
It's difficult to share with you the severity of the condition, because it doesn't carry the same tragic connotation that other diseases do. You hear arthritis and you think, "Well, that sucks, but at least it's not cancer or something."
I currently am waking up every morning in intense pain all through my body. So much so that I can't put on socks or brush my teeth. That pain and stiffness start to subside a little bit around 3pm and then ramp back up around 8pm.
My feet joints are crooked and my toes are bending over on themselves. My knees don't straighten all the way.
Years ago, my right elbow had such severe arthritis that it locked in about a 90 degree angle, and is still locked today. Also I dropped down to about 115 pounds and looked awful. Corrie thought I was going to die.
That's me, weighing something-a-grown-six-foot-man-shouldn't-weigh :)
Now, my left elbow and wrist are starting to go the same direction.
The pain and immobility are bad enough to lead me to cancel my speaking commitment at our church tomorrow, Father's Day 2018.
At the moment, if school were in session, I wouldn't be able to work. School starts early August, there's a real possibility that I won't be able to go back.
All of this from something that has been called Undifferentiated Spondyloarthropothy, Lyme Disease, or (most recentlly by Stanford) Psoriatic Arthritis.
MATT'S CURRENT TREATMENT SITUATION
So, after spending 9 years pursuing alternative treatments that were somewhat financially manageable, we finally went to one of the top facilities in western medicine and now their best option for me is not working. We are trying some other less powerful options but still seeing no effect.
Since that's the case, my only option at the moment is to increase my Prednisone dose to very high levels, so that I can function. The problem with that is that Prednisone causes thin, tearable skin, brittle bones, and a host of other major side effects. I have broken my back and ribs and arm because of this.
Also, it gives me quite a puffy face when the dose is high!
But I choose either that or the daily pain and inflammation.
HOW YOU CAN HELP FINANCIALLY
I tell you all of this so that you can know two things:
a) We want to take ownership of our lives and take care of ourselves so that we can give to others. I work hard and want to work harder and plan to.
b) Even though I work hard and want to take care of my own crap, right now this disease is a big giant to slay. And I need help.
We have set our goal at $90,000...here's the breakdown:
Rent and Expenses through 2018 = $35,000
We JUST got blessed with moving into our own home after all this time. I'm looking at maybe not being able to work and receive my salary when August hits. I want with all my heart to keep my family in our home and to give me more time to get my body well so I can get back to work and pay our own way.
This portion would allow for that very thing.
I will also be investing time, energy, and resources in my existing SAT business so that, if December hits and my body still needs more time, our business will be able to sustain us better than it does right now.
Treatment at the Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland = $55,000
My body needs intensive, effective treatment. The best our system has to offer isn't working. Before, we tried visiting different doctor's offices in our area but nothing so advanced, all-encompassing, and powerful as this clinic in Europe.
This is an estimate of the cost of the three week, daily treatment program that I would do there, including lodging and travel. I know that looks insanely expensive, but to put it in perspective...
One of my Remicade infusions costs $50,000. And I get those every six weeks. And they're not even working anymore! (Thank goodness for Medicare)
It's time I get freaking serious about healing because I'm done living on borrowed time that these super powerful drugs have given me. Clearly, under the surface of alleviated symptoms, my body is still massively struggling to be healthy.
I don't have time to toy around with anything less than the most powerful options out there.
My family needs their husband/dad/man to be strong and able to provide. Able to lead. That's why I'm not wasting time with little office visits here and there. This is serious.
URGENCY
While there is no hard deadline on this...we have to move quickly for a couple reasons.
1) I want to teach again come August. I love it and the kids need me.
2) My body, when it starts to flare up, gets worse very quickly. One week I can be playing outside with the girls, and the next I can be barely able to step out the door.
3) Planning for our finances, if I don't return to work in August, we will need to pay rent and other expenses while I get my body back online.
For all those factors, I want to move fast and begin action on this even within the next month.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We know with all our hearts that God is our provider. We have seen him do miracles in our finances without us ever asking anyone. But right now, we are asking you, the people that he has used to bless our lives so much already, if you can help us during this fourth-quarter-half-court-shot time.
If you are able to donate, you would bless our whole family.
Even if you can't donate, could you please share this with your network? Social media, personal emails, calls, whatever you think of. I'm calling all hands on deck for this one, so however you are able to spread the word, we would be very thankful.
Bless you all. I pray that Jesus fills you all with his goodness and hope and that he answers any places of pain in your own life and brings you victory...even that victory that you've been waiting a long time for.
You were meant to conquer. Never settle for anything less. We love you.
It has been a few years now since we were publicly sharing details of my health with our friends, family and network. And here's why: We don't want sickness and doctors and treatments to define our lives. God has put a lot more inside us than just that. And to be honest, most of the time we'd rather talk about other dreams and projects, things we know God put us here to do. Thinks like:
--Corrie's book
--Rebecca's dance
--Our Steadfast Marriage ministry
--My newly started Masculine Christian writing endeavors
--My new High School English teaching adventure
These are the things that drive us. They are what God has put us here to do.
But friends, it's time for me to talk about my health again. This disease is serious right now, and truthfully, we could use your support.
For those of you who don't know our story, it's pretty long. So in case you don't have the time to read the whole thing, here are the bullet points for you.
----------------------
BULLET POINTS
----------------------
1) I have battled a severe, aggressive case of autoimmune arthritis all over my body for 11 years. Was bed-ridden at one point...unable to function let alone work.
2) After 9 years of searching for curative treatments, we've spent the last two years at Stanford receiving heavy duty, dangerous drugs that had been doing a great job at alleviating the symptoms...but not CURING my body.
3) Those treatments...the MOST POWERFUL ones known to our conventional medicine system are not working anymore. And my pain, inflammation, immobility, weight-loss are rushing back aggressively.
4) Leading up to May, I was teaching full time as a High School English teacher (loving it and loving being ABLE to work). This helped us be able to rent our OWN HOME for the first time in 8 years. My girls have their own yard for the first time ever.
5) But my body is getting worse quickly and Stanford is about out of ideas. I can barely get up in the morning. Can't put on socks. Can't brush my teeth. Lots of pain. If school were back in session, I wouldn't be able to work. School starts in August, and I don't know if I will be able to return to teaching at that time.
6) I am also currently stuck on a drug called Prednisone, which is a steroid with serious side effects. It is eating away my bones, skin, and other connective tissues, but it keeps my pain down.
7) This is urgent. My body is getting worse quickly and we want to do SOMEthing to help me be able to work in August.
8) HOW YOU CAN HELP
--Donate to our fund any amount you feel able to
--Sharing this GoFundMe campaign with anyone you can think of who might have the heart and resources to
invest in our family.
----------------------
THE FULL STORY
----------------------
STANFORD TREATMENTS
Almost two years ago exactly, Corrie and I decided on a huge shift. For the 9 years prior, we had gone down every route we could find looking for a way to actually cure my body. We changed our nutrition (which we are thankful for and still embrace whole-heartedly). We traveled to a doctor in Nevada...twice.
We attacked Lyme Disease, mycoplasma infection, used anything we could find to make headway.
But my body still got worse. And it got to the point where I was taking 40mg per day of Prednisone in order to manage my pain and inflammation.
At that point, two years ago, my current doctor said I needed to go see a standard rheumatologist and get the standard rheumatology drugs. That may be the only thing that would bring relief.
So I went to Stanford, met an amazing doctor, and together we decided on my starting Remicade infusions. This is the. most. powerful. treatment option in the tool belt of standard conventional rheumatology.
And for eight months, it worked beautifully. I was able to decrease my Prednisone down to 2mg per day. But then suddenly my body started resisting the Remicade, and my pain and inflammation came back.
So we tried many of the other drugs in their tool belt...none of which did anything. And after 2ish months, we went back to Remicade which again helped for another 8 months or so...until this last May.
BUILDING A NEW LIFE FOR OUR FAMILY
But before May hit, while that treatment was working, Corrie and I and our two girls (and dog) finally started to feel like we were getting to live a normal life.
Last January, I applied for and immediately received a teaching position at my old High School teaching freshmen English. This was the first real job I had been able to work in about 6 years. And I was nervous about whether I'd be able to physically handle the schedule, but we went for it.
I loved it. As near as I can tell, my students loved me too. They asked if I could teach sophomore English next year. They'd say I was their favorite teacher.
I shared Jesus with them daily. I prayed for them. I saw Jesus heal them. And I've been planning with the administration a chapel venue that I could lead next year aimed at discipling the young men to be strong, confident, God-on-fire men ready to bring value to their world.
Also, right after my starting teaching, we were able to move out of living with family and finally rent our first own home in 8 years. This is where we are now, and we love it. It's been a dream of ours that has felt so out of reach during the times when I could hardly get out of bed.
Here's the girls playing in their first ever backyard :)
The feeling of finally giving my family a home is amazing. I've been working hard both teaching and running my already existing side-business coaching students on the SAT in order to get our feet under us after these many years of dealing financially with this disease.
THE CURRENT STATE OF MATT'S HEALTH
But then, this past May, the treatments I'm getting at Stanford, the most powerful option they know of, started not working again. And this time, my pain and inflammation started raging back faster and harder than before.
It's difficult to share with you the severity of the condition, because it doesn't carry the same tragic connotation that other diseases do. You hear arthritis and you think, "Well, that sucks, but at least it's not cancer or something."
I currently am waking up every morning in intense pain all through my body. So much so that I can't put on socks or brush my teeth. That pain and stiffness start to subside a little bit around 3pm and then ramp back up around 8pm.
My feet joints are crooked and my toes are bending over on themselves. My knees don't straighten all the way.
Years ago, my right elbow had such severe arthritis that it locked in about a 90 degree angle, and is still locked today. Also I dropped down to about 115 pounds and looked awful. Corrie thought I was going to die.
That's me, weighing something-a-grown-six-foot-man-shouldn't-weigh :)
Now, my left elbow and wrist are starting to go the same direction.
The pain and immobility are bad enough to lead me to cancel my speaking commitment at our church tomorrow, Father's Day 2018.
At the moment, if school were in session, I wouldn't be able to work. School starts early August, there's a real possibility that I won't be able to go back.
All of this from something that has been called Undifferentiated Spondyloarthropothy, Lyme Disease, or (most recentlly by Stanford) Psoriatic Arthritis.
MATT'S CURRENT TREATMENT SITUATION
So, after spending 9 years pursuing alternative treatments that were somewhat financially manageable, we finally went to one of the top facilities in western medicine and now their best option for me is not working. We are trying some other less powerful options but still seeing no effect.
Since that's the case, my only option at the moment is to increase my Prednisone dose to very high levels, so that I can function. The problem with that is that Prednisone causes thin, tearable skin, brittle bones, and a host of other major side effects. I have broken my back and ribs and arm because of this.
Also, it gives me quite a puffy face when the dose is high!
But I choose either that or the daily pain and inflammation.
HOW YOU CAN HELP FINANCIALLY
I tell you all of this so that you can know two things:
a) We want to take ownership of our lives and take care of ourselves so that we can give to others. I work hard and want to work harder and plan to.
b) Even though I work hard and want to take care of my own crap, right now this disease is a big giant to slay. And I need help.
We have set our goal at $90,000...here's the breakdown:
Rent and Expenses through 2018 = $35,000
We JUST got blessed with moving into our own home after all this time. I'm looking at maybe not being able to work and receive my salary when August hits. I want with all my heart to keep my family in our home and to give me more time to get my body well so I can get back to work and pay our own way.
This portion would allow for that very thing.
I will also be investing time, energy, and resources in my existing SAT business so that, if December hits and my body still needs more time, our business will be able to sustain us better than it does right now.
Treatment at the Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland = $55,000
My body needs intensive, effective treatment. The best our system has to offer isn't working. Before, we tried visiting different doctor's offices in our area but nothing so advanced, all-encompassing, and powerful as this clinic in Europe.
This is an estimate of the cost of the three week, daily treatment program that I would do there, including lodging and travel. I know that looks insanely expensive, but to put it in perspective...
One of my Remicade infusions costs $50,000. And I get those every six weeks. And they're not even working anymore! (Thank goodness for Medicare)
It's time I get freaking serious about healing because I'm done living on borrowed time that these super powerful drugs have given me. Clearly, under the surface of alleviated symptoms, my body is still massively struggling to be healthy.
I don't have time to toy around with anything less than the most powerful options out there.
My family needs their husband/dad/man to be strong and able to provide. Able to lead. That's why I'm not wasting time with little office visits here and there. This is serious.
URGENCY
While there is no hard deadline on this...we have to move quickly for a couple reasons.
1) I want to teach again come August. I love it and the kids need me.
2) My body, when it starts to flare up, gets worse very quickly. One week I can be playing outside with the girls, and the next I can be barely able to step out the door.
3) Planning for our finances, if I don't return to work in August, we will need to pay rent and other expenses while I get my body back online.
For all those factors, I want to move fast and begin action on this even within the next month.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We know with all our hearts that God is our provider. We have seen him do miracles in our finances without us ever asking anyone. But right now, we are asking you, the people that he has used to bless our lives so much already, if you can help us during this fourth-quarter-half-court-shot time.
If you are able to donate, you would bless our whole family.
Even if you can't donate, could you please share this with your network? Social media, personal emails, calls, whatever you think of. I'm calling all hands on deck for this one, so however you are able to spread the word, we would be very thankful.
Bless you all. I pray that Jesus fills you all with his goodness and hope and that he answers any places of pain in your own life and brings you victory...even that victory that you've been waiting a long time for.
You were meant to conquer. Never settle for anything less. We love you.
Fundraising team (2)
Matt Hallock
Organizer
Watsonville, CA
Matt Hallock
Team member