Update: July 12, 2025

Hi friends! We are overdue for an update, and a lot has come to pass very quickly. The recovery from the surgery was phenomenal & Ben was feeling incredible! He felt like he had an old crusty dusty battery in his back removed, and they replaced it with a shiny sparkly battery, and he felt like he had a new lease on life. Just a week after surgery, he was at the Wild Hare Tavern to see the band Hyperion and no one was dancing. In true Ben Winker style, he slid through the crowd with his walker, started cutting a rug the best he could, and a trail of dancers followed suit filling the dance floor. That is who Ben is. He gets people together, he gets people to take action, he gets people to care.

Activism for our community has been a life-long endeavour for Ben, and he is far from done. From leading rafting trips, campus activism, and being involved in nearly a dozen committees and boards including KHSU and Zero Waste Humboldt, he is where the action is. His efforts in educating the community about recycling, energy efficiency, and most recently state-wide activism to prevent medicare fraud for our aging community benefit us all. His energy ripples through in everything he does, and everywhere he goes.

He is facing a new health challenge. When he was having the staples from the surgery removed, the nurse had some bad news. A biopsy of the tissue removed alerted his medical team to a cancer diagnosis. While he is lucky that it was found early, the diagnosis is Stage 2 Multiple Myolema. Navigating the health care system, especially in our rural area is tricky, and there is a lot on the line. The diagnosis hasn’t gotten him down too much, but arranging medical appointments, treatment options, and second opinions, coupled with the anxiety of waiting for results is a heavy load to bear. He is due for radiation next week, followed by rounds of chemotherapy.

Hopefully we as a community can give back just a fraction of what Ben has given to us, in the form of alleviating the financial load and helping him to focus on what is important in life: his health, his wife, and his commitment to improving the lives of those around him. Please donate if you can, share the fundraising link, and share your stories about Ben in the fundraising comments.

In love and support,

Ben & Beth Winker

(Original Post)

Dear loved ones, I am Ben Winker. I'm going to get to the point. I am creating this GoFundMe because I need your help. I’ve been struggling with my back for almost ten years, and middle age has finally caught up with me. I am now fifty-three. I have lived in McKinleyville, CA, with a beautiful wife on our little plot of land, with a garden and 2 cats for 15 years.

Now, back to the story. I kept after my doctor with little more than Aleve for pain, and finally, my wife and I went in and asked for an MRI to find out what was wrong. Long story short, I had two lower lumbar vertebrae that were constantly slipping in and out of position and an adjacent vertebra that had a compression fracture. I was referred by my primary doctor to the best neurosurgeon in Humboldt, Dr. Messegee. She did an amazing job alongside her amazing surgery team and incredible recovery team. I was in the hospital for 4 days. Current medical science is incredible.

I had good insurance but am left with a copay bill of $6,147, and that is why I am asking for help. Beth and I have gone through the blender of bills lately, losing our house to a tree and gaining a house a couple of years ago, almost losing our cat more recently. I need your help. The love and appreciation I felt and continue to feel is amazing. I have 6 to 8 weeks of recovery, including using a walker, wearing a supportive back brace, and lots of physical therapy.

Any help would be appreciated. I cannot wait to run into all my friends again and be able to smile, hug, and dance again. Many friends have asked how they could help and asked if we had done a GoFundMe, so here is my ask. If you can help with ten dollars or twenty dollars, it will all help. Thank you so much, and when I am free of this experience, you know the love will shine out again, and with each other, we will dance again. Thank you sincerely. For those that have already contributed, thank you so much from this starfish.