Greetings, my name is Jason Romstadt, but feel free to call me Jay. Today, you find a survivor. I have survived the type of illness in the last three years that would have taken most. Severe illness has plagued our family since 2001. But, the point is not that we became catastrophically ill, but that we have all survived.

This past Christmas, my wife of 30 years looked at me and said, "You realize that between the two of us, there was only a 16% chance that we would be here at this very moment." So much we have to give thanks for. And I, as the breadwinner of my family, fell ill in 2022. January to be exact. A routine procedure was when the surgeons found that I have a rare blood disorder. So rare, in fact, there is no test for it, nor is there a name. But after eighteen hours of surgery, I woke up paralyzed from the waist down.

While in HVICU, I developed a pressure sore that was only noticed by my wife. By the end of my three-month stay, I was allowed to go home. I left the hospital that day with eight separate wound vacs and an untreated pressure sore. I was home for 45 days when my body was overwhelmed by infection from the pressure sore. I had several nurses that came to my house, some several times weekly, and was eventually removed by paramedics. I don't remember the names, but I had five total infections. The only two I remember were necrotizing fasciitis and septicemia. According to the surgeon that amputated the muscles, I was hours away from death. I was put in a medically induced coma due to the treatments I was receiving. That same surgeon told my wife after the surgery that I had less than a 10% chance of survival, yet here I am. Grateful, humble, and respectful. So many gave so much so that I could be here today.

My family... there is nothing I wouldn't do for them, which brings me here. Never mind all that sob story. Things like that happen to people every day. Some survive, most don't. Along with losing my legs, I lost my livelihood. Man...those were good times. I was an exceptional welder, an exceptional mechanic, and the cream on the cake was my industrial electrical knowledge. I took great pride in my work. I'm proud in knowing that there are welds out there to this day that have my name on it and will outlive me. I had always figured that one day I would just keel over and that would be the end of it. Never would I have imagined that I would become "unusable." This, I cannot accept. I work every day, perhaps feebly, to regain as much as I have lost. My family is what gives me my confidence and drive.

So I have one trick left up my sleeve. A long time ago, when I was still figuring out who I was, I operated heavy equipment. I recently found that I am still quite capable of doing that. As I sat in my house, rummaging through the debris that fills my head, I was able to marry two of my passions. One being operating heavy equipment, and another, protecting my home, Earth. Protecting my home by locating the abandoned structures. Old barns, old houses, outbuildings that have long been forgotten. Claiming these structures to clean, organize, and recycle that lumber into usable and aesthetically pleasing additions to warm hearts, homes, and hearths worldwide. You would be surprised to know how much waste there is laying about. Old buildings, barns, houses, outbuildings, etc. My purpose today is to ask for your help. Help in reclaiming those forgotten pieces of history that have been tossed aside and forgotten about. Let us together find these materials new homes, let them live another hundred and fifty years, let them be passed from generation to generation. Let US put a dent in the deforestation and reclaim that which Earth has given us so freely. And I feel that I am just the man to do it.

Will you help us? Can you be part of the movement that eases up on all of our home? We only have one home, Earth. And we have to start somewhere, why not here. We are ALL depending on you. Your gift need not come in the form of a donation, although this will take investment to start up, it can merely be a topic of discussion. Tell your friends, tell your families, heck, tell your enemies if you think it will help. Together, we can put our differences aside and focus on this common goal. PLEASE HELP SAVE OUR PLANET! Start here and let's see how far we can take it!