Help David’s Fight With ALS

At 34 years old, just five months after getting married to Heather, the love of his life, David was officially diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease: ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease. It is a progressive nervous system disease. The nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord end up deteriorating and dying, which causes a lack of communication with the muscles. They, unfortunately, never regenerate.

On average, it costs $125,000-$200,000 out-of-pocket a year to live with this disease and prolong life. He has lost 100% function of his arms and legs and because of a recent pneumonia infection, he is no longer able to use his voice to communicate.

David has a tracheostomy and at times uses a ventilator, as his lungs are unable to maintain breathing independently. He also has a PEG-tube for nutrition and hydration as he cannot safely swallow any food or drink by mouth. All these advanced medical needs make finding adequate care a massive challenge.

However long his life may be, we want to provide the best care, allowing him to enjoy every second he has left without pain or worry on how his family will make it through. His wife Heather is a first-grade teacher and has taken off a lot of work the last few months to be by his bedside and has been sleeping at the hospital and care facilities. These facilities are an hour drive each way for his family. Her dedication as well as the dedication of David’s parents, who have also taken off work to be with him, shows how much love and support he has.

Every share or donation is so appreciated! You can help prolong David’s life by making a onetime investment in his care. Exchanging just one $6 coffee a week could help impact an entire human life.

He has been denied by 20+ home health agencies through insurance because of how much specialized care he needs. With an ALS diagnosis it is hard to predict exactly what the future holds, but for however long we are blessed enough to have David with us, we would love to have him home, safe, comfortable, cared for, and surrounded by those he loves.

We would love to reduce the risk of David catching any additional infections from being in these high traffic health care facilities, as well as Heather or any other family that would want to visit. Especially his incredibly young niece and nephews who are not allowed to visit in most high acuity medical facilities. This money will help get him home!

DAVID’S STORY:

When David started having signs of weakness in his hips in 2018, he thought it was his sciatic nerve. But as the next year went on, he started losing balance and his ability to walk unassisted. He was diagnosed in August 2019 with ALS, just 5 months after getting married.

David enjoyed playing baseball from childhood through high school and later played in recreational softball leagues. He loved to dive and got his night diving certification. He was an exceptionally talented guitar player and often played Metallica solos and other intricate musical pieces. David loved to play golf with his father and grandfather, and you could often find him in the gym working on his physique.

This diagnosis came as a complete shock for David, his wife and all his friends and family. We are so lucky to have had the last 4 years with David as most people who receive this diagnosis are quoted 2-5 years to live. In February 2023 he developed pneumonia and has been in the hospital or long-term care facility ever since. He has a tracheotomy for assisted ventilator breathing and peg tube for feeding through his stomach.

His wife Heather has been sleeping by his bedside and taken time off from her first-grade teaching career to be his advocate and support. It is a huge financial stress and will continue to be moving forward to get David homecare, which is unfortunately, mostly paid out of pocket. These funds will help bring him back home and allow him to have more comfort than he has these last few months.

It is hard for Heather to ask for help, so as David’s sister I am asking anyone who can financially donate or share with someone to please take a second right now and do so! Our hope is that we can all come together and support David and Heather through one of the hardest things anyone should ever have to go through.

David has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. He is a loved husband, son, grandson, brother, uncle, and friend. He is so charismatic and loved by everyone he meets. He was a professional DJ and loved bringing joy to everyone. The least we can do is bring a little joy back to him through our support.

From the bottom of our heart, Thank you!

David and his family