Jose's Heroes

When friends think of Jose Cruz, words like “hardworking, strong, vibrant, personable, loyal...” come to mind. He is also a loving father to his son Nash (2) and husband to his wife Annie.

Jose, a 6'5" former Division 1 tight end from Syracuse, began experiencing medical problems in early 2020.

It started with him feeling numbness down the right side of his body and not being able to keep any food down. He went to the emergency room on Memorial Day after he couldn’t even keep down water; it was then they discovered multiple GI issues, including Gastroparesis. After being sent home from that hospital stay, Jose’s symptoms became much worse causing him to lose 100 pounds and become extremely malnourished. Jose now has to rely on a feeding tube for all of his nutrition. He is unable to take any medications to try and improve the Gastroparesis, because he also has long QT syndrome and many of the approved medications effect your heart.

Gastroparesis was one of the first major signs of Jose’s illness, but after countless ER visits, tests, consultations, and out-of- state doctors appointments he was told that he is most likely suffering from a demyelinating autoimmune disease. Unfortunately these diseases can be hard to diagnose so he is still undergoing multiple tests and seeing many different doctors to try and get a complete diagnosis. All of this has forced Jose to take a medical leave from his beloved job at Beemac, Inc. in Pittsburgh, PA.

Because Jose is unable to work, Annie has to work two jobs to not only support their family, but also pay for continued health insurance and unexpected medical expenses as they continue to arise.
 
Your help – in way of financial support and sharing Jose’s story – is greatly appreciated!