John & Jadira's Medical Journey
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John and Jadira's Medical Journey
I am setting up this campaign for my good friend Jadira and her husband John. As many of you know, in late April John will undergo a major surgery to correct an intestinal malrotation. No local doctor could be found that would do the complex surgery so they will have to travel to the Cleveland Clinic for the surgery where they will spend up to 6 weeks. Jadira will stay in a nearby hotel to be by his side.
Basically John’s stomach, intestines and other organs are not where everyone else's are. They follow a completely different road map. As a result he has had problems all of his life, but about 4 years ago things started getting really bad.
They could use your prayers and positive thoughts but also assistance paying for the extended stay in a different state, time off of work and the major costs insurance doesn’t cover. They are the parents of two amazing boys.
Here is more on John’s story…
When he was born he had an intestinal obstruction. The doctors were certain that he was not going to make it. They advised his mom to not get too close to him because she was probably going to lose him. But he was a miracle baby! After 2 surgeries within the first few days of his life, the intestinal obstruction was repaired. The problem is that the doctor did not repair his intestinal malrotation.
Since early 2013, John and Jadira have visited GI specialists to figure out what was causing the severe pain and malaise that John was experiencing and what could be done about it. But no diagnosis could be found. At first they thought it was related to the stress of working 12-15 hour days. After a trip to the emergency room and a CT scan, he was sent home and told everything was “normal” and that the malrotation should not be causing problems after 40+ years. He tried prescription meds, diagnostic tests with specialist and diet changes, but things continued to worsen.
John found a Facebook group for people with an intestinal malrotation. This was a God send! He finally found other people that actually had the same symptoms that he had, and NO, everything was not normal. In the past 3 years, John has lost 70 lbs. not because he was dieting, but because he can't eat without pain, is nauseous all of the time and can't sleep.
In January of 2016, John found a doctor who is a rock star in the world of malrotation. So began their journey to the Cleveland Clinic. Everything seems to be falling into place. Finally, John found validation for feeling so terrible that he could not function. The nurse confirmed that NO - everything is not normal and there is no way that John could possibly feel ok with this condition. The surgeon, Dr. Kareem, actually called John personally before heading to the Cleveland Clinic to reassure him that he was at the right place. John and Jadira feel like they are in good hands.
The original surgery date was 6/4/16 but the surgeon moved it up to 4/29/16 since he was very concerned about some of John's symptoms. The surgeon will remove his appendix and gall bladder so that they don't cause any problems in the future. They will remove any part of the small intestine necessary and basically reconstruct his GI system. His hospital stay will be anywhere between 8-14 days and then he needs to stay in the area even longer for follow up care. But they have faith that he will get better - and John can't wait to be able to actually eat food again and enjoy it.
There is more to their story. In November 2015, John had to leave a job that he has had for 25 years. He has been unable to work since last year due to his condition. About a month ago he became an Uber driver which has been great. It offers the flexibility to work when he feels well enough. He's doing as much as he can but unfortunately it hasn't been as much as he would like. The good thing is that he can drive 1 or 2 hours if that is all he can manage.
They are not sure how long it will take to fully recover or when he'll be ready to get back to work. There are a lot of possible unknown costs and obstacles ahead. Please do what you can help these amazing people! Thank you so much for your generosity! And send lots of love to Jadira and John.
I am setting up this campaign for my good friend Jadira and her husband John. As many of you know, in late April John will undergo a major surgery to correct an intestinal malrotation. No local doctor could be found that would do the complex surgery so they will have to travel to the Cleveland Clinic for the surgery where they will spend up to 6 weeks. Jadira will stay in a nearby hotel to be by his side.
Basically John’s stomach, intestines and other organs are not where everyone else's are. They follow a completely different road map. As a result he has had problems all of his life, but about 4 years ago things started getting really bad.
They could use your prayers and positive thoughts but also assistance paying for the extended stay in a different state, time off of work and the major costs insurance doesn’t cover. They are the parents of two amazing boys.
Here is more on John’s story…
When he was born he had an intestinal obstruction. The doctors were certain that he was not going to make it. They advised his mom to not get too close to him because she was probably going to lose him. But he was a miracle baby! After 2 surgeries within the first few days of his life, the intestinal obstruction was repaired. The problem is that the doctor did not repair his intestinal malrotation.
Since early 2013, John and Jadira have visited GI specialists to figure out what was causing the severe pain and malaise that John was experiencing and what could be done about it. But no diagnosis could be found. At first they thought it was related to the stress of working 12-15 hour days. After a trip to the emergency room and a CT scan, he was sent home and told everything was “normal” and that the malrotation should not be causing problems after 40+ years. He tried prescription meds, diagnostic tests with specialist and diet changes, but things continued to worsen.
John found a Facebook group for people with an intestinal malrotation. This was a God send! He finally found other people that actually had the same symptoms that he had, and NO, everything was not normal. In the past 3 years, John has lost 70 lbs. not because he was dieting, but because he can't eat without pain, is nauseous all of the time and can't sleep.
In January of 2016, John found a doctor who is a rock star in the world of malrotation. So began their journey to the Cleveland Clinic. Everything seems to be falling into place. Finally, John found validation for feeling so terrible that he could not function. The nurse confirmed that NO - everything is not normal and there is no way that John could possibly feel ok with this condition. The surgeon, Dr. Kareem, actually called John personally before heading to the Cleveland Clinic to reassure him that he was at the right place. John and Jadira feel like they are in good hands.
The original surgery date was 6/4/16 but the surgeon moved it up to 4/29/16 since he was very concerned about some of John's symptoms. The surgeon will remove his appendix and gall bladder so that they don't cause any problems in the future. They will remove any part of the small intestine necessary and basically reconstruct his GI system. His hospital stay will be anywhere between 8-14 days and then he needs to stay in the area even longer for follow up care. But they have faith that he will get better - and John can't wait to be able to actually eat food again and enjoy it.
There is more to their story. In November 2015, John had to leave a job that he has had for 25 years. He has been unable to work since last year due to his condition. About a month ago he became an Uber driver which has been great. It offers the flexibility to work when he feels well enough. He's doing as much as he can but unfortunately it hasn't been as much as he would like. The good thing is that he can drive 1 or 2 hours if that is all he can manage.
They are not sure how long it will take to fully recover or when he'll be ready to get back to work. There are a lot of possible unknown costs and obstacles ahead. Please do what you can help these amazing people! Thank you so much for your generosity! And send lots of love to Jadira and John.
Organizer and beneficiary
Mary Walker
Organizer
Springfield, VA
John and Jadira Blevins
Beneficiary
