Let's help John fight against Lupus

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Updated 6/29/19
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So I thought my journey in dealing with medical issues was mostly over. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The back issues I had as of late turned out to be due to a cancer growth that is still being investigated. As I haven't had a chance to recover fully from dealing with Lupus physically, mentally, and financially I was convinced by Joe to start a new campaign in order to help me get by this next month of treatment in hopes that it allows me to move enough to go back to work. I appreciated all the help and support in the past and I hope you can continue to help me by passing the word out and chipping in when possible. The new campaign is located at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/johns-new-challenger-cancer 

Thank You!
John

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Updated 3/27/19
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Hello again.

I wanted to give you all another update. This past year has easily been the hardest of my life. I wouldn’t have been able to get through it without all the support that I have received from people. People who have been generous with their words, thoughts, prayers, funds, and time. Thank you, Mamá, for getting me to the hospital. You literally saved me from death’s door.

And now that scene is over a year old, and I’m happy still be around. With everyone's help and support, I was able to get back up at the 9 count. From being barely able to get out of bed to now being able to take my furry buddy on 30 minute daily walks. It has been a slow journey where I had to take it day by day.

Great news: I am no longer taking the majority of medications. But my body is not completely well and I still have more recovering to do. Although I still struggle just getting around, it pales in comparison to the pain and effort of a year ago. That’s my health report.

With poor health comes hard to manage finances. And being the main breadwinner of the family while not being able to work and later struggling to find full-time work didn't help the situation. Thanks to you all here for taking a part of my burden. We raised over $5,000 over the course of a year and every dollar counted towards keeping me from losing my health, house, car, and sanity. Which all were necessary to have in order to reach my next milestone.

So speaking about another milestone I have finally landed some work. Contract application development work with the City. This will certainly help me back to financial stability, in time. The job isn't hard on me. This appears to be the perfect role for me to get back up to speed. I have job inquiries in progress, but those are just a bonus and if they come to fruition things will only get better.

So I am bringing this GoFundMe to a close. I will continue to put updates on how my health is going over the next few months. I really do appreciate what everyone has done for me. All the support in every form has helped me get this far. You have my eternal gratitude. Thank you.


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First Post
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Hello Everyone,


First thing, we want to say thank you for looking at our GoFundMe campaign for John. John, also known as Arujei, is an active member in the anime community and in some gaming circles. Besides that, he a wonderful human being. He’s friendly, loves his mom, his dogs, and would do whatever he could to help out his friends. With more people like him in the world, this would be a better world.


So number 1, we’re glad he’s still with us. We almost lost him at the beginning of this year. What started out as the flu took a terrible turn for the worse in January. What he is fighting now is commonly known as Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)).



Since January, he’s spent 16 days hospitalized due to SLE flares and/or complications. Along with that, he’s had to go the ER for twice for other SLE related complications. All the doctors are fairly certain that SLE. It’s so weird that even after all of this there would be any doubt, but then again we’re not doctors and the human body is wonderful, and mysterious thing. As strong as it is, it’s so fragile too.


The good news is John is getting better. But it’s a slow and expensive process. Because SLE attacks nearly all parts of your body, he has to see 5 different specialist besides his Primary Care Provider. We’re hoping for some good news/treatment from a specialist later in April.  We made the appointment in January, and honestly, there were times in February where he almost didn’t make it. If it wasn’t for his Mama, pushing for him to seek medical help, this would be a sadder campaign we’d be trying to fund. God bless our Mamas.


Many of our friends and family have been asking how they can help. He’s been getting quite a bit of emotional and daily support from everyone. Thank you for that. John has also shown us that he’s a fighter. He’s doing whatever is within his means to get better. He’s been doing research, research, and more research. He’s picked up valuable information and added certain foods to his diet which have yielded positive results.


But one stressor that he needs needs assistance in alleviating is that of the financial burden this disease is causing. In January he had insurance through the company he worked at. Since being laid off, he now has medi-cal. Needless to say, his finances have suffered greatly.


Just recovering takes a lot of his strength. He’s not the ball of energy he used to be. He’s  been told he needs to do chemotherapy. As weak and debilitated as chemotherapy leaves you, it’s going to make it even harder to actually hold or find a job. He’s currently looking for a part time position that he can do remotely just to stay afloat.



As you can imagine, all the medical expenses and regular living expenses are pretty much maxing out his credit cards and draining his saving quickly. That’s why we’ve put this page up. To help John get past this episode of life.


How will the funds be used? All funds donated to will first be used to pay medical expenses (co-pays and whatever isn’t covered), and then living expenses. Anything extra will be saved in case he has another flare/attack.


We give you all a huge heartfelt “thank you” in advance for any kindness you bless John with. It is all greatly appreciated.


Every share matters. Please share and help spread the word!