Help for a Soldier and his family
Donation protected
First Sergeant Alan Adams, USA, Retired has made an extreme sacrifice for his county and his family; his health and eventually with his life.
Alan grew up in Helena and graduated from Helena High School in 1987. He participated in high school football; outside of school he was active in motocross and flat track. After high school he continued his activities by participating in weight-lifting competitions, racing stock cars and coaching small fry football. He loved and enjoyed the physicality of the sports and excelling in all that he did.
In 1997 he married the love of his life, Amy. Together they have 3 sons, a daughter, a grandson with another grandson on the way.
Alan joined the traditional Guard in 1985 and accepted a full-time position at Ft Harrison in 1997. 9-11 happened, with the ensuing war Alan’s was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom from November, 2004 to October, 2005. Upon his return he has been quietly struggling with health issues, but in the last two years things have taken a turn for the worst. Early on Alan was diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the mental and physical symptoms can last for years and are debilitating. However, there were other issues/symptoms that were plaguing Alan due to his exposure to chemicals and toxins while he was stationed in Iraq. He was treated for several different conditions, but none of the diagnoses/treatments brought about any change or relief. During this time Alan was still an active member of the MTNG and he was close to achieving a lifetime goal of becoming a Sergeant Major. His health kept a downward spiral and in June 2017, Alan realized that he could not continue his participation/membership in the MTNG. Coming to the decision to retire from the Guard was the hardest decision Alan had to make. He would be leaving his Guard family, his troops; he took to heart the responsibility of the training and preparations for readiness of each individual in his unit. It would also mean that he would no longer be able to support his active family. Alan was granted a medical discharge and received a 100%, permanent and total disability. Alan has been to several major clinics in the United States, the War Related Illness & Injury Study Center, associated with Stanford University in Palo Alto, California and the Cleveland Clinic just to name a couple. He has been diagnosed with Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID). CVID is a disorder that impairs the immune system; Alan’s body produces no antibodies; he is highly susceptible to infection from bacteria and viruses. For this he has to have immunoglobin replacement therapy 3 times a week.
However, each of his medical teams feel there is an underlying issue due to the severity of Alan’s symptoms and decline of health. To this date he is still tested and to date the medical teams have not been able to pin point a specific diagnosis or treatment. His doctor has told him that his condition is rare and complex and there are/have been very few individuals with this condition to reference treatments.
There is no cure and we can only hope his current treatments are enough to keep him stable into the future. Just this summer, Alan has been treated/hospitalized twice with serious “superbug” blood infections. Alan also has to have intravenous fluids with electrolytes 7 days a week; two or more of those days he spends in Helena’s VA Hospital. His wife Amy, has learned to do his treatments within the home to keep Alan in a more comfortable state. Alan’s body does not retain any nutrients and he has lost over 80 pounds. Alan was a very robust, strong and healthy individual. He has no physical strength, his body as a whole no longer functions on a normal scale. This impacts every aspect of his life; he can’t help his wife with the typical responsibilities at home, he cannot help his sons with their cars, he cannot do yard work, he cannot help his friends, he can do so little, even for himself. Alan’s health and lifestyle have deteriorated severely. We are extremely heartbroken about his condition.
Amy is the rock of the family. Her commitment and love not only to her family, but her coworkers and military family is unparalleled. Amy is an employee of the State of Montana. She loves her job and feels very responsible for the duties required of her at work. Alan’s many doctor appointments, hospital visits and down days have required Amy to have an overage of leave of absence from work, which then puts her workload off on her colleagues. She does not feel this is fair to her colleagues or to the people she helps. Amy has been trying to manage her work life and home life; however, the demand of Alan’s deteriorating condition is becoming an enormous strain on the whole family. Amy has come to the decision to give up her full-time work schedule with the State so she can fulfill fulltime care needs at home. Her family comes first.
The Adams family is truly blessed with the Veterans Administration’s health and other benefits that they receive. However, the household income has been greatly reduced. We have watched this family go through so much in the last couple of years, the wear and tear caused by drastic health and lifestyle changes, that we want to help ease the stress on the family by raising money to help with their finances going forward.
Alan Adams has no quit. He has always been the hardest worker, the fitness addict we all envied and the first to be there when help was needed, however, our Superman has met his Kryptonite.
We, the family and friends of Alan and his family are reaching out in hope you will kindly consider helping this family. Your thoughts and prayers are truly appreciated and we are thankful for any support you may be able to provide.
The Family and Friends of the Adams Family.
Alan grew up in Helena and graduated from Helena High School in 1987. He participated in high school football; outside of school he was active in motocross and flat track. After high school he continued his activities by participating in weight-lifting competitions, racing stock cars and coaching small fry football. He loved and enjoyed the physicality of the sports and excelling in all that he did.
In 1997 he married the love of his life, Amy. Together they have 3 sons, a daughter, a grandson with another grandson on the way.
Alan joined the traditional Guard in 1985 and accepted a full-time position at Ft Harrison in 1997. 9-11 happened, with the ensuing war Alan’s was deployed during Operation Iraqi Freedom from November, 2004 to October, 2005. Upon his return he has been quietly struggling with health issues, but in the last two years things have taken a turn for the worst. Early on Alan was diagnosed with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the mental and physical symptoms can last for years and are debilitating. However, there were other issues/symptoms that were plaguing Alan due to his exposure to chemicals and toxins while he was stationed in Iraq. He was treated for several different conditions, but none of the diagnoses/treatments brought about any change or relief. During this time Alan was still an active member of the MTNG and he was close to achieving a lifetime goal of becoming a Sergeant Major. His health kept a downward spiral and in June 2017, Alan realized that he could not continue his participation/membership in the MTNG. Coming to the decision to retire from the Guard was the hardest decision Alan had to make. He would be leaving his Guard family, his troops; he took to heart the responsibility of the training and preparations for readiness of each individual in his unit. It would also mean that he would no longer be able to support his active family. Alan was granted a medical discharge and received a 100%, permanent and total disability. Alan has been to several major clinics in the United States, the War Related Illness & Injury Study Center, associated with Stanford University in Palo Alto, California and the Cleveland Clinic just to name a couple. He has been diagnosed with Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID). CVID is a disorder that impairs the immune system; Alan’s body produces no antibodies; he is highly susceptible to infection from bacteria and viruses. For this he has to have immunoglobin replacement therapy 3 times a week.
However, each of his medical teams feel there is an underlying issue due to the severity of Alan’s symptoms and decline of health. To this date he is still tested and to date the medical teams have not been able to pin point a specific diagnosis or treatment. His doctor has told him that his condition is rare and complex and there are/have been very few individuals with this condition to reference treatments.
There is no cure and we can only hope his current treatments are enough to keep him stable into the future. Just this summer, Alan has been treated/hospitalized twice with serious “superbug” blood infections. Alan also has to have intravenous fluids with electrolytes 7 days a week; two or more of those days he spends in Helena’s VA Hospital. His wife Amy, has learned to do his treatments within the home to keep Alan in a more comfortable state. Alan’s body does not retain any nutrients and he has lost over 80 pounds. Alan was a very robust, strong and healthy individual. He has no physical strength, his body as a whole no longer functions on a normal scale. This impacts every aspect of his life; he can’t help his wife with the typical responsibilities at home, he cannot help his sons with their cars, he cannot do yard work, he cannot help his friends, he can do so little, even for himself. Alan’s health and lifestyle have deteriorated severely. We are extremely heartbroken about his condition.
Amy is the rock of the family. Her commitment and love not only to her family, but her coworkers and military family is unparalleled. Amy is an employee of the State of Montana. She loves her job and feels very responsible for the duties required of her at work. Alan’s many doctor appointments, hospital visits and down days have required Amy to have an overage of leave of absence from work, which then puts her workload off on her colleagues. She does not feel this is fair to her colleagues or to the people she helps. Amy has been trying to manage her work life and home life; however, the demand of Alan’s deteriorating condition is becoming an enormous strain on the whole family. Amy has come to the decision to give up her full-time work schedule with the State so she can fulfill fulltime care needs at home. Her family comes first.
The Adams family is truly blessed with the Veterans Administration’s health and other benefits that they receive. However, the household income has been greatly reduced. We have watched this family go through so much in the last couple of years, the wear and tear caused by drastic health and lifestyle changes, that we want to help ease the stress on the family by raising money to help with their finances going forward.
Alan Adams has no quit. He has always been the hardest worker, the fitness addict we all envied and the first to be there when help was needed, however, our Superman has met his Kryptonite.
We, the family and friends of Alan and his family are reaching out in hope you will kindly consider helping this family. Your thoughts and prayers are truly appreciated and we are thankful for any support you may be able to provide.
The Family and Friends of the Adams Family.
Organizer
Matthew OBrien
Organizer
Helena, MT