Help Jake Hall Recover from Brain Tumor & Stroke!

Update

10/28/24 @ 4:25pm

Jake was successfully taken from the vent and is breathing on his own, praise the Lord!!

He has been talking with Bo fairly well. His voice is low & quiet of course. Bo has XM radio playing in the room with classic country. At one point he even said Jake was playing air guitar on his pillow (very gently since he is still very weak) Bo said he smiled really big at one point and it made his day! I could hear Bo smiling through the phone as he told me. Jake has said he is hungry but Bo is waiting on word from the Dr that it is ok to get him some chicken broth but just him wanting it is a positive sign. Respiratory has him doing exercises with a spirometer & he is doing well with that. Doing that is important and will help him STAY off the vent!

Update

10/27 @ 6:00pm

I do not have any major changes to report. I just want to check in & let you know what is going on with Jake. He is sedated but not completely out. He can open both his eyes & the right pupil is reacting to light now. He can move his right leg & lift his right arm. He is able to sign to communicate some with Bo, just certain needs or complaints. He’s said his back hurts & when he would like to be repositioned he can communicate that. The doctor has started to wean him off of the vent & hopes by tomorrow, he will be completely off. We really didn’t want him to have to go back on the ventilator but now look at it as something positive in that while that machine is doing all of the work for him, his body is resting and hopefully, can heal some.

Thank you all for your outpouring of love for Jake and his family!! To know Jake is really to love him! Honestly. Bo said last night that people do love him and it’s true! Everybody that meets him can’t help but love him. We just appreciate your love, care & concern more than I can express.

Update:

10/25 @ 4:15pm

He is out & bypassing recovery to return to his room. He will be on the vent and sedated for a couple of days. The surgeon said the surgery went ok and was a success. He just had hoped he was not going to have to do that. Bo is coming home once he has seen Jake. He said he may as well since Jake won’t know if he’s there or not. I’m sure it will be a very brief stay. He has not been home more than 2 hours per visit since this all began.

10/25/24

UPDATE:

I wish I had good news but Jake needs your prayers today more than ever! He had a bad headache since yesterday @ 3:00pm, all night! He was throwing up and sleeping constantly. He wouldn’t open his eyes but when he awoke, all he would mumble was to get the nurse & his head was hurting. First, the doctor decided he would have to be placed back on the ventilator, despite that is the last thing everyone wanted. It was very frightening to be told his heart could stop while intubating him since it has been working so hard lately. They’d also done a CT scan. Jake has considerable swelling that’s causing his headaches. The surgeon spoke with Bo & told him Jake required surgery to release some of the pressure. So as I type this, Jake may already be in the OR. I will keep everyone updated as I hear from Bo.

10/24/24 UPDATE:

Today makes one week since Bo took Jake to have his surgery to remove his tumor. He was supposed to come home Tuesday or Wednesday had things gone like they were supposed to go. That’s a hard pill to swallow.

The good news first? The preliminary pathology report is looking good! More definitive results are coming so I won’t say until the final results are in but we pray the tumor will be benign.

Now the bad news. Jake came very close to being placed back on the ventilator yesterday! We are praying that wont happen because he would be regressing. One step forward, two steps back. Swelling was causing severe headaches & his O2 levels were low, fluctuating. They stopped letting him have ice until they access swallowing more today. As you can imagine, he is not very happy about that. He did have a fairly good night last night. Please pray he will be making big strides forward, getting better. His future is so uncertain right now. If you know Jake, you know he loves being outside and working! He never just sits around or watches TV. He never has and has always kept busy, busy, busy! I know being in that hospital bed, unable to put his feet on the floor is so difficult for someone like Jake.

Thank you all so much for the love and support! I can’t say enough how much your concern means to all of us!

10/23/24 UPDATE:

I wish I had some really good news to report but unfortunately, not a whole lot has changed. Jake is still in CCU in Greenville as his situation is still very serious. His dad, Bo is by his bedside every single night & he refuses to leave Jake without close, trusted family. Jake’s blood pressure continues to be high & this is concerning.He still has a feeding tube but is allowed an ounce of ice at a time throughout the day, even though he is begging for more and a Boberry biscuit.

He had a CT scan today which shows more cranial swelling. He still has no movement on his left side. We know he will have to go for intensive PT, hopefully at BTAR in Rocky Mount. Discharge from Greenville is at least 9 days away. We pray his age will play in his favor for his recovery.

We are thankful for everything! Jake truly appreciates your kindness and generosity. Please pray for his spirits to be lifted. As you can imagine, he has not been in good spirits. He’s It seems as if he is slowly realizing his inability to move which has to be frustrating. He is very concerned for his future, what all of this means for him and especially for his children. It’s all so uncertain but God answers prayers and miracles happen everyday!

Initially, Jake said he didn’t want any photos of him during this time. After talking with all of his family, we have decided to share current photos so those who love him and care for him can see just how dire these circumstances really are.

Thank you all again and I implore you to continue to share this as much as possible and PRAY!

10/20 (or 21) UPDATE:

Jake had surgery as planned Thursday. However, things have not gone as expected. We all thought he would be heading home tomorrow. Unfortunately, Jake suffered a significant stroke during or immediately following surgery. This has left his left side paralyzed. He has not moved it at all since before surgery. He really did nothing but sleep the first 2 days post op & this was concerning. He has started talking some & is aware of where he is, what’s going on and says he wants to go home and eat some of my banana pudding. He has a NG feeding tube until they are certain he can swallow & not aspirate. He told me he would walk all the way home if he had to. He has not stood nor had his feet even on the floor since Thursday. PT did assist him to sit up twice but his baths and personal care are all passive as he is unable to assist yet.

He has had considerable swelling in his face and neck. Yesterday his right eye was swollen completely shut and bruises but it’s better today. His blood pressure has been very elevated the last 24 hours & is being managed with IV meds. We are thankful to have the surgery behind him. This does seem like a bad dream that we are soon to wake up from. Bo comes home every 2 days to regroup and is headed right back to Greenville in under 2 hours. He doesn’t want to be away from Jake for long and truthfully, Jake doesn’t want Bo to leave. Keep Bo in your prayers as well. He really is not resting in a recliner in CCU & we all need him desperately! This family will really be lost if anything happens to him.

This road to recovery is going to be quite a bit longer than anticipated. We know the best option to help Jake recover use of his left side is intensive in house PT for a few weeks. Pray for God to guide us in making these decisions to benefit Jake the most. Pray for healing, for peace and comfort for this young man.

Thank you all who have shared this post. Thank you those who have called, texted or messaged as it means the world to know so many do care for Jake and this family. And to those who have contributed, your kindness and generosity means more than you know & is helping more than you know. God bless you all!

I’ve always wondered, why do bad things happen to good people? Everyone has asked that once in their life, and this is one of those times. Four weeks ago, my stepson, Jake Hall, had his dad take him to the ER with a crippling headache. I knew immediately it had to be bad for him to call on his dad from work to drive him. He’s always been a proud, hardworking man who has never asked for a handout. He’s worked since high school. He married at 19 and had Anna a couple of years later. Then they had Payton in 2021. He’s been a wonderful, devoted husband and a loving father to those girls. He also has always been a model son and never given his parents any trouble at all!

Back to the ER. To everyone’s surprise, they found a cerebral hemorrhage with a CT scan and discovered that was a result of a mass on the brain. The last month has been a whirlwind. Really, I think everyone is still a little in shock. This was the last thing any of us expected to happen. I mean, we all were just at the beach together, how can this be? Well, it’s very real. That day, Jake was rushed to Greenville. They ran a battery of tests. The good news is there are no other masses anywhere in his body, thank God! Also, the bleeding stopped on its own.

The bad news? This mass or tumor has to be removed and the sooner the better. Dr. Dalyai will be his primary surgeon. He goes for pre-op testing Monday, 10/14, then they will do the surgery Thursday, 10/17.

Jake has had many restrictions placed on his activities since this all began. He has not been able to work more than 20 hours since. Jake has never been lazy! If he could be working, he would be. I convinced him to let me set up this account. He will need help to make ends meet in the coming months. We know he will be out of work at least 8 weeks.

I am asking if you can find it in your heart to help in any way, it would be greatly appreciated. Every penny counts, dollars add up, and every one makes a difference. If donating isn’t possible, please do share, share, share!!!

I have to add that this company takes their share (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction). If you would like to help out and not do it here, I can provide you with Venmo, Cash App, or ApplePay information. I also plan on speaking with SECU about making direct donations to his personal account!

Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for sharing or donating or both!!