Help Jan Henry Sultan's Recovery from Covid

Hi, my name is Anne Hoff and I'm the organizer for this GoFundMe for Jan Sultan. Some of you know me as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of Structure, Function, Integration: The Journal of the Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® . I've been a Rolfer since 1996, and have known Jan since then both by reputation and by the good fortune of studying with him. I heard about Jan's covid breakthrough infection from my Co-Editor-in-Chief, Lina Amy Hack, who has been helping Jan write a structural integration book. I then got in touch with him out of concern as his condition worsened. The details on Jan's illness, turnaround, and now progressive recovery are below.

 

Even though they were double vaccinated, Jan and his wife Liesel Orend both caught breakthrough COVID-19 infections at the end of October, perhaps while on a plane to a visceral manipulation workshop in New Mexico. (Some of you will remember Liesel from when she worked at RISI in the 1990s.) Symptoms began to show up after five days. At first Jan isolated at home with Liesel, and they got monoclonal antibody treatments. Liesel bounced back quickly, and Jan at first seemed to get better, but then a cytokine storm kicked in and his oxygen numbers kept sinking to dangerous levels. He had to enter the hospital - a PCU (Progressive Care Unit) - in LA on November 3 to receive high-flow oxygen.

 

When I spoke to Jan today - November 15 - he told me that it was really touch and go for a number of days; he genuinely wondered whether this was his time to pass. Fortunately, it wasn't. He began to improve, but for many days the effort of moving or even sitting up to eat would knock his oxygen levels back down, so he has not been allowed to walk unassisted. Jan is still on oxygen, but getting better. He will likely be released from the PCU to go home soon, but as you can imagine, he probably has significant rehab and recovery time ahead of him before he is able to return to his normal life, work, and teaching schedule.

 

Jan is 79 years old. He's been going strong in teaching and in his structural integration practice at an age when many would be retired. This illness is a huge setback and will be a financial challenge for the family. Liesel was able to return to work, but they are a one-income household at the moment, and they have a son in college who they support. Jan has already missed three weeks of work, and he will miss more as he recovers further and builds his strength back. Besides lost income, there will probably be medical co-pay amounts once the bills start rolling in (because this is America). Jan would never have thought to ask for help, but when I suggested a fundraising page, and he considered the reality of his situation, he agreed to have me post this on his behalf. The initial target of $10,000 will cover the rent on their house for a couple of months, reducing stress on Jan and Liesel while he begins the next stage of his recovery. All funds collected by GoFundMe will go directly to Jan via his bank account.

 

I invite my Rolfing® and Structural Integration colleagues to consider a generous donation to one of our key elders and lineage holders. Even if you've never met or studied with Jan, you have benefited from his teaching. He was one of the developers of the Rolfing Principles, he formulated the internal/external model, and he generously shares his knowledge to the community at large in the pages of Structure, Function, Integration. Jan trained directly with Dr. Ida Rolf, was chosen by her to become a Rolfing instructor, and is one of the exemplars who has dedicated his life to both developing Rolfing Structural Integration and teaching the work of structural integration at Basic, Advanced, and CE levels to Rolfers and other structural integration practitioners.

 

Please consider donating whatever you can - any amount will be appreciated. If you would like a guideline, for structural integrators, my suggestion would be to consider donating the fee you receive for one of your sessions, or whatever you can afford, to support an honored elder.

 

If you would like to reach out to Jan, the best way to get in touch right now is through text. I'm sure he would be thrilled to get your messages of support and love. He tells me he feels the energetic impact of those of us praying and holding him in our meditations, so join in that too if you are so inclined.