Donation protected
If you know Jeff Belnap then you know a loving, caring, charismatic guy who would give you the shirt off his back without any hesitation. His philosophy was “it’s just money, I can make more!” He prided himself on being able to give to others. You might even say he felt it was his purpose. It’s what made him feel good about himself. Throughout his life he worked hard and played even harder. Then Parkinson’s Disease took over and things began to change. Jeff has battled this awful disease for 14+ years now. For the first few years of his diagnosis he chose to throw himself into work to put away as much money as he could before the disease would take that option away. Unfortunately, through the years he still felt the need to give and take care of others leaving him with little left for himself. It’s been 5 or 6 years since he was unable to work and sadly the money he set aside has been barely enough to live on. And still, any extra money he had he continued to give to others he felt needed it more.
Fast forward now to the end of 2021. Not only is he battling Parkinson’s disease but now has Lewy-Body Dementia and Encephalopathy. For the past 90+ days he has been in and out of the hospital being treated for issues stemming from these horrible issues. He’s undergone surgery to expand his esophagus to help keep him from choking as he eats. He’s gone through an extensive alcohol detox and is sober almost 60 days now. Jeff was able to come home and spend Thanksgiving with his family but was quickly readmitted to the hospital a couple weeks later with aggressive dementia. We went from having good days of clarity with a few forgetful moments in a day to now celebrating a few one or two moments of clarity. It’s truly heartbreaking to see Jeff, who was once the life of the party, could get anyone to laugh, to now barely knowing his name. His brain is rapidly deteriorating and he’s fighting every day to be present with us. Jeff is currently admitted to a critical care unit where they are treating him and his diseases as best they can. Sadly, he will need long term care once he is cleared medically and the care he will require is more than his family can take on. Despite having Medicare and a supplemental insurance the bills are starting to flood in for the care he has been receiving. The cost to move him to a long term care facility is also more than the family can bare. The government has not made things any easier in qualifying for Medicaid. We are hopeful for a bed to open at long term care facility, one that Medicaid will help cover but until then, his immediate family, Angie and Kaden Boyle (daughter/grandson), siblings Steve (Gayla) Belnap, Vickie (John) Clark and Tamara Belnap, and a few close friends are all doing everything they can to help him get the care he needs and keep his spirits up.
It’s not easy asking for help, it’s something our family of givers struggles with all the time. However we find ourselves in that position where we are asking for anything to help get Jeff the care he needs and deserves. This is the kind of thing Jeff wouldn’t even hesitate to contribute to, no matter what position he was in.
Please help us by donating and sharing to those that know Jeff and his family.
Our family thanks you!
Fast forward now to the end of 2021. Not only is he battling Parkinson’s disease but now has Lewy-Body Dementia and Encephalopathy. For the past 90+ days he has been in and out of the hospital being treated for issues stemming from these horrible issues. He’s undergone surgery to expand his esophagus to help keep him from choking as he eats. He’s gone through an extensive alcohol detox and is sober almost 60 days now. Jeff was able to come home and spend Thanksgiving with his family but was quickly readmitted to the hospital a couple weeks later with aggressive dementia. We went from having good days of clarity with a few forgetful moments in a day to now celebrating a few one or two moments of clarity. It’s truly heartbreaking to see Jeff, who was once the life of the party, could get anyone to laugh, to now barely knowing his name. His brain is rapidly deteriorating and he’s fighting every day to be present with us. Jeff is currently admitted to a critical care unit where they are treating him and his diseases as best they can. Sadly, he will need long term care once he is cleared medically and the care he will require is more than his family can take on. Despite having Medicare and a supplemental insurance the bills are starting to flood in for the care he has been receiving. The cost to move him to a long term care facility is also more than the family can bare. The government has not made things any easier in qualifying for Medicaid. We are hopeful for a bed to open at long term care facility, one that Medicaid will help cover but until then, his immediate family, Angie and Kaden Boyle (daughter/grandson), siblings Steve (Gayla) Belnap, Vickie (John) Clark and Tamara Belnap, and a few close friends are all doing everything they can to help him get the care he needs and keep his spirits up.
It’s not easy asking for help, it’s something our family of givers struggles with all the time. However we find ourselves in that position where we are asking for anything to help get Jeff the care he needs and deserves. This is the kind of thing Jeff wouldn’t even hesitate to contribute to, no matter what position he was in.
Please help us by donating and sharing to those that know Jeff and his family.
Our family thanks you!
Co-organizers (3)
Angie Boyle
Organizer
Salt Lake City, UT
Johnny Goodman
Co-organizer
Steven Belnap
Co-organizer