Jonah is a bright and resilient young person who has been living with epilepsy since he was 12. Despite undergoing a VNS implant at 14 and trying more than 21 different medications, his seizures remain uncontrolled. His VNS device activates about 250 times a day, yet he still experiences grand mal, drop attack, and absence seizures, rarely going more than a week without a major event. Jonah loves music, card games, and spending time with his service dog, Huntington, and dreams of living independently one day. Right now, he takes around 20 pills daily, which makes eating, thinking clearly, and staying awake difficult.

Jonah’s medical team has recommended a corpus callosotomy, a specialized surgery that involves cutting part of the corpus callosum—the nerve fibers connecting the brain’s hemispheres—to prevent severe, medication-resistant seizures from spreading. This procedure is typically used when conditions like Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome don’t respond to treatment. The surgery is highly effective at reducing or eliminating dangerous “drop attacks,” and while recovery can take a few weeks, it offers hope for a better quality of life with fewer medications and more independence for Jonah.

The surgery will take place at Hackensack University Medical Center in March 2026. Jonah, his parents Chris and Cynthia, and Huntington will need to travel from North Carolina to New Jersey for about two weeks. The family will face significant expenses for travel, lodging, daily meals, and care for Jonah’s sister, Olivia, who will be at home during her softball season. Previous hospital stays have been costly, even with insurance and Medicaid, and a brain surgery and extended stay will almost certainly require even more resources.

Your support will help offset these costs and show Jonah and his family that they are not alone. Any donation, encouragement, or kind word will mean the world to them as they face this challenging journey. Thank you for helping Jonah take this important step toward a brighter, healthier future.