Jimmy needs our help to get back on his feet.

Hi, My name is Andy Maracini and I'm fundraising for Jim Farrington who has recently been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré (Ghee-YAN Bah-RAY) syndrome (GBS). He has been in complete paralysis and in St. Vincents' ICU since March 16, 2023. GBS is a rare syndrome with no cure but is treatable and most make a full recovery. Jim's situation is hard in many ways. He has no movement in any limbs and has been on breathing assistance. His full recovery will most likely require many months of physical therapy.

For those of you who know Jim well, you know he would do anything to help out another in need. For those who don't know Jimmy, or lost touch over the years, I'll fill you in a bit. As a life-long friend of Jim and the Farrington family, I've had the pleasure of knowing this hard-working guy since he was bagging groceries as a teenager, managing a Burger King, working as a machinist, to recently retiring from a School district as a custodian where he was loved by faculty and students alike. He recently moved back from Massachusettes to our hometown in Iron Mountain, MI to help care for his elderly mother who is suffering from dementia.

Although Jim never married, family has always been at the center of his life as are his many friends. Jim recently complained of feeling tired while his sister and he were sharing duties caring for their mother. She realized that Jimmy needed more attention and encouraged him to see a Doctor. Jim always put off his care while thinking of others, and after his symptoms progressed he realized he needed to get medical attention. The local care team wasn't able to diagnose his condition and by then it was progressing rapidly until he couldn't walk or feed himself. At this point, he was transferred to a larger medical system in Green Bay, WI where they diagnosed GBS and started treatment.

I was able to visit Jim on March 19 and seeing him completely helpless with his family scrambling to manage care was incredibly hard. His family asks only for your prayers. Jim was raised in the Catholic church and he has always kept a God-centered life. I can thank him for many times pointing me to correct my wrongs (and there were many) while we were growing up. That often annoyed me, but I realize now it was because he cared about me.

I am now trying to help Jim and his family, so if you can donate to Jim to help him recover, please consider giving. If you cannot, please consider sharing this message and including his family in your prayers. Any money collected will go directly to pay for medical treatment. I will do my best to keep everyone updated on this site. If you would like to contact the family directly, we welcome that as well, but please understand they are very busy trying to manage Jimmy's care and may not be able to reply quickly.

Thank you for your time and please pray for Jim's full recovery!