- K
- J
- j
This is Jonathan Hamada! Some people call him Jona. We want you to meet him.
Jona is as happy, healthy energetic kind of guy you could ever think of growing up. Friends with anything that moves and a big heart, Jona is your ‘go to’ guy. Then in July 2016 his life changed. He dove into a pool and the dive somehow caused really bad pressure in his ears and head which led to him experiencing vertigo, dizziness, head pain, and also a ringing sound in both ears. Things got worse and he went to the ER the next day. The dive caused head trauma to his brain and he has been having neurological problems ever since. He ended up going to the ER again the following week for numbness and extreme pain in his face and was also diagnosed with TMJ. He soon started to have vague symptoms, unexplained visual disturbances, and hearing problems. Jona also had chronic neck and back pain before this incident and it only made things worse. For almost a year no one could tell him what was really happening until after various tests and many visits to doctors’ offices he was diagnosed with Visual Snow Syndrome and Tinnitus(click link to video). During this time he would also find out through a blood test that he had Rheumatoid Arthritis, a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the joints and tissues of the body.
Jona now experiences chronic headaches, inner ear pain, neck pain, chronic fatigue, joint pain, muscle spasms/twitching and basically just pain throughout his entire body. His back has since gotten worse and has made it harder for him to walk. He now has to use a cane or crutches to get around and cannot walk long distances without the use of a wheelchair. This has been a lot for him to deal with mentally, physically, and emotionally. In addition, it has led to him struggling with having panic attacks, anxiety, and depression.
In January 2017 he also had a trigger point injection in his neck that was supposed to help with his neck pain and inflammation, but instead, it made things worse. The injection caused more inflammation and has left him with a pulsating/twitching/shaking sensation deep inside his neck and head. Not too long after this Jona again ended up in the ER because of this and now has to take Ativan to calm these symptoms down.
Visual snow, visual static, or persistent visual snow is a transitory or persisting medical disorder in which sufferers see snow or television-like static in parts or the whole of their visual fields, constantly in all light conditions, even visible in daylight, darkness and with closed eyelids. Visual snow is now regarded as a unique syndrome—usually presenting with other symptoms, such as persistent afterimages, photophobia, enhanced blue field entopic phenomenon, and tinnitus.
Can you imagine how annoying, frustrating, and distracting this can be on a constant basis? Driving is obviously dangerous. Reading, writing, texting, playing computer games, and watching television all become very difficult when all Jona can see is static.
Tinnitus is the hearing of sound when no external sound is present. While often described as a ringing, it may also sound like a clicking, hiss or roaring. Rarely, unclear voices or music are heard. The sound may be soft or loud, low pitched or high pitched and appear to be coming from one ear or both. Most of the time, it comes on gradually. In some people, the sound causes depression, anxiety or interferes with concentration.
Not hearing what people have to say can be frustrating. Not being able to understand your surrounds can also be scary and stressful. Having a constant buzzing, ringing or even clicking sounds can be very distracting.
With both visual and audio impairing him, Jona is not able to do a lot of normal things that we may take for granted. Before this, he was a college student attending BYU-Idaho, but as of now he cannot attend college anymore. He currently cannot work and is on disability. He can’t have the same fun that he used to. His life is becoming more and more stressful and needs our help.
Someone asked:
“Maybe there is some kind of cutting-edge scientist doctor at Johns Hopkins or the National Institute of Health” to which the response is “well there is no real cure and as Jona responded with:
“Probably would have to see someone like that but I don't have the money and I can't go on an airplane because my head is sensitive to pressure changes”.
Jona has always been a team player and we need to return the favor and help our little buddy out. With medical expenses and debt not helping his situation at all with the stress, we hope to bring some relief to this amazing guy. Donations will go to help pay for his expenses and to getting the help from a specialist. As he can’t fly this would possibly be a road trip and accommodations needed for him to getting the help needed to live a more normal and stable life.
Words cannot express how grateful we are for all the support and donations. Thank you! - His friends Alex Snell and Jorge Bonilla
Jona is as happy, healthy energetic kind of guy you could ever think of growing up. Friends with anything that moves and a big heart, Jona is your ‘go to’ guy. Then in July 2016 his life changed. He dove into a pool and the dive somehow caused really bad pressure in his ears and head which led to him experiencing vertigo, dizziness, head pain, and also a ringing sound in both ears. Things got worse and he went to the ER the next day. The dive caused head trauma to his brain and he has been having neurological problems ever since. He ended up going to the ER again the following week for numbness and extreme pain in his face and was also diagnosed with TMJ. He soon started to have vague symptoms, unexplained visual disturbances, and hearing problems. Jona also had chronic neck and back pain before this incident and it only made things worse. For almost a year no one could tell him what was really happening until after various tests and many visits to doctors’ offices he was diagnosed with Visual Snow Syndrome and Tinnitus(click link to video). During this time he would also find out through a blood test that he had Rheumatoid Arthritis, a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the joints and tissues of the body.
Jona now experiences chronic headaches, inner ear pain, neck pain, chronic fatigue, joint pain, muscle spasms/twitching and basically just pain throughout his entire body. His back has since gotten worse and has made it harder for him to walk. He now has to use a cane or crutches to get around and cannot walk long distances without the use of a wheelchair. This has been a lot for him to deal with mentally, physically, and emotionally. In addition, it has led to him struggling with having panic attacks, anxiety, and depression.
In January 2017 he also had a trigger point injection in his neck that was supposed to help with his neck pain and inflammation, but instead, it made things worse. The injection caused more inflammation and has left him with a pulsating/twitching/shaking sensation deep inside his neck and head. Not too long after this Jona again ended up in the ER because of this and now has to take Ativan to calm these symptoms down.
Visual snow, visual static, or persistent visual snow is a transitory or persisting medical disorder in which sufferers see snow or television-like static in parts or the whole of their visual fields, constantly in all light conditions, even visible in daylight, darkness and with closed eyelids. Visual snow is now regarded as a unique syndrome—usually presenting with other symptoms, such as persistent afterimages, photophobia, enhanced blue field entopic phenomenon, and tinnitus.
Can you imagine how annoying, frustrating, and distracting this can be on a constant basis? Driving is obviously dangerous. Reading, writing, texting, playing computer games, and watching television all become very difficult when all Jona can see is static.
Tinnitus is the hearing of sound when no external sound is present. While often described as a ringing, it may also sound like a clicking, hiss or roaring. Rarely, unclear voices or music are heard. The sound may be soft or loud, low pitched or high pitched and appear to be coming from one ear or both. Most of the time, it comes on gradually. In some people, the sound causes depression, anxiety or interferes with concentration.
Not hearing what people have to say can be frustrating. Not being able to understand your surrounds can also be scary and stressful. Having a constant buzzing, ringing or even clicking sounds can be very distracting.
With both visual and audio impairing him, Jona is not able to do a lot of normal things that we may take for granted. Before this, he was a college student attending BYU-Idaho, but as of now he cannot attend college anymore. He currently cannot work and is on disability. He can’t have the same fun that he used to. His life is becoming more and more stressful and needs our help.
Someone asked:
“Maybe there is some kind of cutting-edge scientist doctor at Johns Hopkins or the National Institute of Health” to which the response is “well there is no real cure and as Jona responded with:
“Probably would have to see someone like that but I don't have the money and I can't go on an airplane because my head is sensitive to pressure changes”.
Jona has always been a team player and we need to return the favor and help our little buddy out. With medical expenses and debt not helping his situation at all with the stress, we hope to bring some relief to this amazing guy. Donations will go to help pay for his expenses and to getting the help from a specialist. As he can’t fly this would possibly be a road trip and accommodations needed for him to getting the help needed to live a more normal and stable life.
Words cannot express how grateful we are for all the support and donations. Thank you! - His friends Alex Snell and Jorge Bonilla