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My beautiful husband Jeff King passed away on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 after a 30 plus year battle with Multiple Sclerosis ("MS"). I was blessed to be with Jeff for nearly a decade. Jeff was a bohemian spirit who loved deeply and touched everyone he met with laughter, kindness and grace. Jeff's determination and spirit to live with MS, deal with the daily struggles of losing mobility and being sick, and still have an incredibly positive outlook on life and having time to tell everyone he met that, "I love you man" and mean it, was humbling to witness. He explained life's challenges as speed bumps that you just needed to take your electric wheelchair over at top speed and enjoy the ride. His sense of humor infused at just the right time, would lighten the mood during difficult and serious conversations and remind all of us that we were put on this earth to enjoy life and truly love the people around us.
His involvement in the MS community and especially on the blogs helping others deal with their symptoms and explaining the power of a positive outlook were awe inspiring. Even up until the end, he was radiant and full of love for everyone around him. It is with an incredibly heavy heart that I travel on the journey this next year to bring him home spiritually and physically. He was a believer in the holy gospel of Jesus Christ and lived a life most of us aspire to live. He truly embodied human kindness and his gift was to help people on their own journeys in a compassionate and hilariously funny comforting way. It is therefore not surprising that Jeff has friends from all over the world and from all backgrounds, religions and races.
Jeff was born in Ohio, and spent his adult life in the OuterBanks, NC. He enjoyed his bohemian life at the beach, owning a landscaping company and enjoying time with his friends and family. When his MS became too debilitating to work in his landscaping business he drove his jeep to Arizona to be with family. Jeff and I met through mutual friends, and his incredible spirit touched my soul. He approached my fast paced east coast mentality by asking me out, "So will you go out with me or is the wheelchair going to be a problem". His charming personality and hilarious humor were infectious, and who can say no to a proposal like that. In the ensuing years, Jeff was an expert at simultaneously living life in the moment and planning for the future. He was a realist when it came to his life with MS and accepted all of the progressions of his illness with dignity. His life spirit was exceptionally strong. During the last few years, Jeff has been at my side working in animal rescue and taking care of our lab babies while I was at work. His outreach ministry was to his MS community and sending hundreds of messages daily to those battling MS with words of encouragement and talking about MS and how to live a full life often times from bed. Even while he battled continuous illness in the last four years of his life, his faith and positive outlook continued every day. He thought of himself as MS or Mighty Special and he made sure that everyone he met felt the same way about themselves.
Over the years, a recurring theme Jeff and I have heard is the financial burden of financing an illness like MS. Because of the devastating nature of this disease many people cannot work anymore and go on disability with an income far less than they earned before. Medical insurance being what it is, often times, MS patients are faced with difficult life choices. One organization dear to our hearts is the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation or MS Focus.
MS FOCUS
They are an organization with a multitude of outreach services to MS patients including emergency financial aid to pay for living expenses, medicines, financial assistance for MS patients to purchase desperately needed medical equipment, and organizing support groups and contributing to research.
The second organization that Jeff and I both utilized services from is the National Multiple Sclerosis Society that has local chapters and provides a host of services and get togethers with MS patients and their families.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Although Jeff and I were very fortunate that I was able to work and care for him at the same time, I am still faced with a substantial amount of medical bills and funeral expenses. I would like to be able to pay off the medical debt, pay for the memorial service in North Carolina and also give a sizable donation to our two MS charities (above) in Jeff's name.
I learned a great deal from Jeff, but most of all I learned that we are placed on this earth each of us with a calling. Jeff's calling was to help other people, to make them feel special and loved, and to help them deal with their unimaginable struggles with MS. It is for this reason in memory of Jeff, that I ask for us to come together as his family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances and help others fight their struggle with MS. Thank you so much, for helping us both on this final chapter of his journey.
With love and gratitude,
Sabine Asser King
His involvement in the MS community and especially on the blogs helping others deal with their symptoms and explaining the power of a positive outlook were awe inspiring. Even up until the end, he was radiant and full of love for everyone around him. It is with an incredibly heavy heart that I travel on the journey this next year to bring him home spiritually and physically. He was a believer in the holy gospel of Jesus Christ and lived a life most of us aspire to live. He truly embodied human kindness and his gift was to help people on their own journeys in a compassionate and hilariously funny comforting way. It is therefore not surprising that Jeff has friends from all over the world and from all backgrounds, religions and races.
Jeff was born in Ohio, and spent his adult life in the OuterBanks, NC. He enjoyed his bohemian life at the beach, owning a landscaping company and enjoying time with his friends and family. When his MS became too debilitating to work in his landscaping business he drove his jeep to Arizona to be with family. Jeff and I met through mutual friends, and his incredible spirit touched my soul. He approached my fast paced east coast mentality by asking me out, "So will you go out with me or is the wheelchair going to be a problem". His charming personality and hilarious humor were infectious, and who can say no to a proposal like that. In the ensuing years, Jeff was an expert at simultaneously living life in the moment and planning for the future. He was a realist when it came to his life with MS and accepted all of the progressions of his illness with dignity. His life spirit was exceptionally strong. During the last few years, Jeff has been at my side working in animal rescue and taking care of our lab babies while I was at work. His outreach ministry was to his MS community and sending hundreds of messages daily to those battling MS with words of encouragement and talking about MS and how to live a full life often times from bed. Even while he battled continuous illness in the last four years of his life, his faith and positive outlook continued every day. He thought of himself as MS or Mighty Special and he made sure that everyone he met felt the same way about themselves.
Over the years, a recurring theme Jeff and I have heard is the financial burden of financing an illness like MS. Because of the devastating nature of this disease many people cannot work anymore and go on disability with an income far less than they earned before. Medical insurance being what it is, often times, MS patients are faced with difficult life choices. One organization dear to our hearts is the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation or MS Focus.
MS FOCUS
They are an organization with a multitude of outreach services to MS patients including emergency financial aid to pay for living expenses, medicines, financial assistance for MS patients to purchase desperately needed medical equipment, and organizing support groups and contributing to research.
The second organization that Jeff and I both utilized services from is the National Multiple Sclerosis Society that has local chapters and provides a host of services and get togethers with MS patients and their families.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Although Jeff and I were very fortunate that I was able to work and care for him at the same time, I am still faced with a substantial amount of medical bills and funeral expenses. I would like to be able to pay off the medical debt, pay for the memorial service in North Carolina and also give a sizable donation to our two MS charities (above) in Jeff's name.
I learned a great deal from Jeff, but most of all I learned that we are placed on this earth each of us with a calling. Jeff's calling was to help other people, to make them feel special and loved, and to help them deal with their unimaginable struggles with MS. It is for this reason in memory of Jeff, that I ask for us to come together as his family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances and help others fight their struggle with MS. Thank you so much, for helping us both on this final chapter of his journey.
With love and gratitude,
Sabine Asser King