Help the Farrow Family

Hi, my name is Kassandra Farrow and I am fundraising for my parents Janine and Michael Farrow. Their good friend Jerolynn Cochrane has written this about my parents.

The Farrow Family needs your help to raise $30,000. These funds are needed for accessible accommodations, medications, medical travel and medical devices. They have used up all of their savings and sold most of their possessions to raise the funds they have been using to live and now need your help.

I’m Jerolynn, and I started this GoFundMe to help a family who have given so much to their community. Let me tell you their story, starting with my friend, Janine Farrow.

Janine could be everybody’s mother—raising two daughters, Brittany and Kassandra, planning economical family trips to Disney World, fundraising for their elementary school, then, for five years, single-handedly fund-raising for their high school music program which financed needy students’ trips and band uniforms, purchased instruments and helped cover other travel expenses.

Janine and her husband, Mike, could be the neighbours we wish for—over the last 28 years their family paid attention in their community, neighbourhood and schools, noticing families not quite making ends meet or going through rough times.

Each year, the Farrow Family created a Christmas for one of these families including toys, clothes, school supplies, food, and gifts for the adults.

Staging the anonymous delivery of their Santa work was the highlight of the Farrow’s Christmas, but they did more – inviting others to their Christmas dinner table– folks alone or without family, friends of friends of friends, no barriers, no questions asked. I’ve been one of those extras and really appreciated it.

These contributions, in spite of Janine’s chronic condition …

Janine has suffered with chronic migraines—as often as three times a week and lasting up to three weeks—since she was 21. With these she has been unable to work and has been on disability for the last 20 years.

To provide the best possible family income in the circumstances, Mike became a truck driver, then an owner/operator for 18 years. When she could, Janine helped find loads and do paperwork for Mike.

But then…

Four years ago, Janine was diagnosed with Morphea Profunda Panniculus—a rare disease of autoimmune injuries to the skin and underlying tissue. Her doctor is working to reset how her body reacts to this with a drug normally used in chemotherapy and transplant anti-rejection. To fight infections, she’s also on the strongest antibiotics available.

As a result, Janine is often not well enough to shower or go up and down the stairs in their split-level home.

So, in 2019, 54-year-old Mike came off the road to be at home with Janine. He changed careers, helping his daughter Brittany start her residential framing business and working with her until 2022.

You can check out @girls_can_frame on TikTok and Instagram.

In the fall of 2021, Mike began experiencing back and hip pain. His physiotherapist noticed that his reflexes were off and his family doctor sent him for tests to figure out why.

Mike’s test results were not good…

He has an incurable neurologic disease. The specific disease is often diagnosed through the process of elimination, so we know Mike does not have Parkinson’s. ALS or MS.

Sometime in the next few months he will have a targeted MRI and, hopefully, both a diagnosis and a prognosis.

Mike is unable to work as his symptoms worsen to include:

The Occupational Therapist says it’s possible that Mike will be confined to wheelchair within the next couple of years.

Hardest in all of this for Mike is losing his ability to be the breadwinner, losing his independence and adapting to his ever-changing physical limitations.

He now relies on those he was once the ‘go to’ guy for.

The prognosis

Janine and Mike are already unable to work - the outlook is grim.

For both, it’s often hard to separate the disease symptoms from the side effects of the drugs. The exhaustion of chronic pain, nausea, headaches, muscle pain, and resulting difficulty in caring for themselves are just a few of the challenges they face.

For Mike, there appears to be no cure, and for Janine a cure seems unlikely.

What is next for the Farrow Family?

Brittany, Kassandra and Kassandra’s partner, Alex, are contributing to the renovations of the lower level of their parent’s split-level home to create much-needed accessible living space for Janine and Mike.

The Farrow Family need $30,000 for the following:

Accessible Accommodations:

The cost of the following renovations is estimated at $10,000

Eldest daughter, Kassandra, and her partner, Alex will move into the other levels of the house to provide care to Janine and Mike as that becomes necessary.

Brittany and Alex have begun renovations when they are not working at their jobs. Brittany’s @girls_can_frame community has provided some assistance as well.

Kassandra, Brittany and Alex help with now unmanageable day-to-day chores.

Extended family members and friends have been dropping by to bring food and help out where they can.

Medications and Medical Travel

Medication costs for Janine and Mike are at least $20,000/year. Because they are not 65 and don’t qualify for a drug plan, these are out-of-pocket. As is travel for doctor appointments, hospitals, and some care resources. It’s fortunate that they live in Hamilton where there are several excellent facilities and access to much of the medical expertise which has enabled them to stay in their home community.

To preserve their dwindling savings, in 2021 Janine cut back on her medications. This stalled and may have permanently reduced the ability to cure her Morphia Profunda Panniculus.

Medical Devices & Disability Assistance

Once the living space for Janine and Mike is completed, they need to outfit it with devices to assist their mobility and safety.

The precise cost is not yet known as this depends both on the renovations of their accommodations and the progress of their diseases.

Savings

Any additional funds raised will be held in a savings account as there will be unexpected costs. Medicines, medical devices and further renovations are ongoing costs that must be funded.

Mike is applying for government disability benefits and when she is able, Janine looks for government programs and funding to assist the family now and in the future as the prognosis is so uncertain.

What can you do to help the Farrow Family?

Over the last few years, the tables have turned, the circumstances flipped. Janine and Mike can no longer give to their community as they once did and now need your support.

I’ve created this Go Fund Me account to remove the financial burden of renovating their living space, out-of-pocket medication costs, medical travel expenses, and disability support.

I hope these funds will let the Farrows concentrate on their quality of life in a lower-stress environment. So please:

Give whatever you can. No donation is too small.

Share on social media. #helpfarrowfamily #migraine #autoimmunedisease #disability #hamiltonontario

Email this page https://gofund.me/802fe551

We are also accepting e-transfers at janinef98 at gmail.com, with FARROW in the Message.