Love & Support for Dave Bertrand

Our Dad Dave.

At the end of June, Dave was starting to have some very minor balance issues so he decided to make a doctor’s appointment to get checked out. Doctors originally thought that Dave was experiencing vertigo. So, he was scheduled for physical therapy to try to work out the issue. They realized that the vertigo was not improving and he was experiencing some minor vision issues as well. Over the course of three months, Dave has been to different specialists, had multiple MRIs, CAT scans, X-rays, bloodwork, a weekend hospital stay, and a spinal tap. Dave’s symptoms continued to worsen while the doctors still couldn’t diagnose this mystery disease.

In early October, Dave was diagnosed with an extremely rare disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD, please read more here —> https://cjdfoundation.org/about-cjd ).

CJD is a cruel and unforgiving disease and diagnosed in only one person per million people a year, making it extremely rare. The most heartbreaking part is that there is no treatment, no cure, and life expectancy is extremely short after the onset of symptoms.

As we remain as hopeful as we can be during this time, we are reaching out to family, friends, and anyone that would like to make Dave’s life a little easier during this time. If you have been lucky enough to know him you know how kind, generous, and selfless he is. Whether he has been your schoolmate, your friend, your coach, your referee, your repair man, or your colleague, Dave has touched the lives of so many in the area. He always puts others before himself, always lends a helping hand, is known for a good joke or two, and is a great husband, brother, father, uncle, grandpa /papa, and friend.

If you would like to help Dave and the Bertrand Family during this time, please consider donating. This GoFundMe page has been setup to help ease the burden of the overwhelming medical costs that are to come. No amount is too small and any amount is greatly appreciated. Please keep Dave and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Please share this with as many people as you can and let’s help Dave when he needs us the most; we all know he would be first in line to help us! Our thanks and love to all of you that have stopped to read Dave’s story. Miracles happen everyday and we are praying that Dave will get his.