Help R.J. Jackson Get Back on (both of) His Feet

On St. Pat’s weekend, my full 230 lbs decided to do an impromptu strength test of my ankle joint. I rolled my ankle off a tree root and fell down a steep slope—just moments before I was supposed to hop in a truck and drive a float in the St. Pat’s parade.

People 15 feet away heard a loud pop over the roar of a generator.

That sound? All the ligaments in my ankle and the top of my foot tearing at once. There was some colorful language, and the kind of bruising and swelling you don’t show to squeamish friends. (But if you wanna see, look in the photos of this post. It was pretty gnarly.)

Turns out I fractured the posterior malleolus of my tibia—one of those sneaky breaks that doesn’t show up on initial X-rays. So I unknowingly walked on it for a week with nothing but a wrap and crutches, and was even trying to transition to a cane by the time they finally caught the fracture.

Why This Really Hurts (Besides the Obvious)

This came at a brutal time. We just bought a car. I finally started my LLC (I Have A Guy Productions). My partner Felicia is also unable to work due to her own health issues, and we both help care for her disabled parents. Oh—and we’re living through one of the worst economies in recent memory… but I don’t have to tell you that.

Those who know me know I’m always absurdly busy. I live a weird, creative, chaotic life that involves pet rats, Renaissance faires, activism, filmmaking, circus, and a million other quirky avenues. It’s a fun life full of blessings—but despite all the cool stories that come along with it, it’s not particularly a life of wealth and luxury. We make it work through hustle, frugality, and a whole lot of duct tape. But this injury brought all of that to a screeching halt.

And to add insult to (literal) injury, it happened on March 15th, The Ides of March. And exactly 13 days before the whiskey and cigar festival that I had been planning for over a year.

How You Can Help

If you’re able, a donation of any size will help us keep the lights on, food on the shelf, and the rats fat and happy, and—most critically—keep me able to get to KC work once I’m cleared, which should be soon.

I should be out of the boot by May 12th which means I can also return to my day job. But my bread & butter of freelance work in TV and live events takes a long time to pay out, and we badly need help bridging the gap caused by me being benched for two months.

No Pressure—Just Love

If you can chip in, thank you from the bottom of my slightly swollen foot. If not, even a like or a share helps this reach someone who might be in a position to help.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for caring. And I promise—once I’m back on two feet, I’ll be the one helping again.

—R.J. Jackson