Hello,

 

My name is Clark. I am writing this post because my stepfather, Christian Bartels, desperately needs your help. He has been scammed of his life savings and is battling a progressive disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Since his diagnosis and the loss of his money occurred within the same week, describing him as devastated is an understatement.

 

 

My stepfather has been there for my family since the death of my father, when I was young. He is an incredible man, known to be fun, jovial, encouraging. He has always been willing to go above and beyond to meet the needs of others. Christian spent most of his life working as Chiropractic doctor, helping thousands of patients to regain their health.

He has always been a firm believer in giving back to the community and was very active in his church, in charity programs, and in community service. Since the day we first crossed paths I’ve always admired his kindness. Times have changed, and he now finds himself at one of the hardest points in his life. Despite everything, his faith in God and in the goodness of others remains unmovable. 

 

In July 2021, my stepfather was working on one of his hobbies - carpentry. Oddly, he realized that he was having difficulties grasping the tools and materials he needed to get the project done. He assumed it may be related to a minor back injury from his younger years, and brushed it aside.

Fast forward to 2022, the day before Father’s Day. In the midst of family festivities, he complained of severe tension in his neck. We rushed him to the hospital, where multiple tests were performed. It was then that he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a progressive disease of the nervous system that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This results in a decrease or loss in muscle control over months, or sometimes, just a few years, soon after leading to death. His symptoms has been present for over a year, and we had missed the signs. We were devastated. 
 

 

But Christian stayed true to his character, being a rock to the family in this difficult time. He remained thankful despite the state he found himself in. He now has little to no strength in his hands and is unable to bathe and feed himself. He changed from being the energetic, strong and fit man we knew to skin and bones. Yet in the face of this struggle, he remains hopeful and happy, eager to enjoy what moments he has with his loved ones and holding faith in God’s plan for him. 

 

On June 20, 2022, merely a few days after this diagnosis, Christian received a message that he had bank-related fraud and that the bank need his account information to clear charges. Not knowing it was a scam call, he provided his information promptly to address the issues. Within hours, his bank account was stripped of all finances, over $19,000. He was soon after also notified that loans adding up to $15,000 had been withdrawn in his name. Within a day, all of the savings he had was gone.

 

Now he and my mother are both retired and living off social security. My brother and I assist however we can, but find ourselves unable to resolve this need on our own. We need your help to pay for my stepfather’s medical expenses. 

 

As he slowly loses his autonomy, he needs physiotherapy and medication. My mother needs assistance in order to meet his everyday needs. Though his condition is slowly worsening, we want to do our very best to keep him with us as long as we can. And down the road, I hope he can meet my own family someday. 

 

This man has tremendously impacted my life and the lives of many others, and he needs your help.

 

Please donate, whether it be big or small. If you don’t have anything to give, please remember my family in your prayers and share his story on social media. We appreciate your support, thank you for having compassion for this incredible man that we love so dearly. Our family will do our best to keep you updated on his progress. 

 

God bless you!

Clark