Help Jeff and Family Through Recovery

*Update added to the end*

Hello, I'm Candice. I am Jeff's little sister. I created this fundraiser for Jeff and Ashley and their little kids to help in the next coming weeks following news of Jeff's health.

If you know Jeff Bridgewater, he is one that rarely ever asks for help for himself. He is ALWAYS the one to give help without hesitation to anyone and everyone. There isn't much we can do currently except pray for his health and comfort at this time. But I also wanted to be able to take some stress off Jeff right now. He is the sole provider for his family, and he probably won't be able to work in the next coming weeks as he needs time to heal from having an operation done to remove a mass that is pressing on his pituitary gland. Currently, he is suffering from hyponatremia and has about a 4cm in diameter tumor growth on his pituitary gland that will need to be removed.

A little background on his current condition: Jeff and his little girl had influenza for over a week. Thankfully, his little one is on the mend and feeling better. However, Jeff was just not able to even get out of bed, feeling so sick. On Friday, they decided they needed to go to the ER to get Jeff rehydrated and feeling better. He hasn't been able to drink or eat much or keep things down for over a week. They drew all of Jeff's labs, and most came back normal, but his sodium levels were at dangerous levels, so they admitted him to the ICU. For a couple of days, they could not get his sodium levels to increase. More tests and more tests were done, and they then tested his kidney function and adrenal gland function. They came to a secondary adrenal gland insufficiency determination and were able to do an MRI. The MRI shows a mass about 4cm in diameter forming on his pituitary gland, which is causing his hormones and body's ability to regulate essential minerals to be out of the normal. Their next course of treatment for the next couple of days is to get Jeff's sodium levels to return to a healthy level. He then will have to follow up with endocrinology, an ophthalmologist, and a neurosurgeon to proceed with removing the tumor forming in his brain. Then follow on treatment to make sure his hormones get balanced. That is the gist of things currently happening. Jeff's sodium levels are rising, he is currently doing well with the treatment they are providing him. He's feeling better slowly each day. But for the sake of Jeff focusing on healing and getting back to doing his favorite thing, serving others, he needs to focus on healing.

These funds will help him and his family for the next few weeks or however long he needs to take off from work to heal. But also to be able to pay any deductible that won't be covered under his insurance. With a hospital stay and having brain surgery, those are big enough to focus on. So if there is anything you can help donate, to help this amazing father, husband, son, brother, and just best friend to all, please help.

If you would like to Venmo instead of GoFundMe, Ashley and Jeff both have Venmos.

Jeff: @jeff-bridgewater

Ashley: @Ashbwater

They bank at Cyprus Credit Union, so if you prefer sending a donation to their account, I can get that information to you. I will only send that information if we know you personally. So please use these other options if possible.

Thank you so much for getting this far and for loving Jeff.

Jeff will need brain surgery to remove the mass on his pituitary gland. So in the next couple weeks that is what his family will be dealing with. He's been in the ICU for almost a week now. However, he is doing much better!! They took him off ICU status last night and are now just trying to find a good balance to maintain healthy sodium levels for him.

We are trying to raise these funds so the Bridgewater family will not have to stress about their out-of-pocket max ($6,000). But also to help them cover bills for however long the recovery from brain surgery will be. Jeff is the sole provider for his family, and his job is mainly commission/performance based so going forward with recovery time I really want to help take the stress and weight off of Jeff feeling like he would need to rush recovery in any way. So please help this amazing family heal in the best way possible. We are so absolutely grateful for everything that has already been done to help. Sharing this post would mean so much to me, thanks for all the love sent to my brother and his family. God truly loves each and everyone of us Thank you from the bottom, tops, middle and all over our hearts. We are truly so grateful for your love for Jeff and his family at this time.

Another update. Jeff went home on Feb13 but ended up not feeling well anymore that evening so ended up back in the hospital. currently he is doing better and they have a plan to continue his care at home.