May the Tooth be with you!

Hi! I’m Jeff.

I have always been a go get kind of guy. From work, to play, to spending time with my family.

In 2016, I was 22 years old and was diagnosed with Leukemia. I had 2 choices, an aggressive route or an easy route. I chose aggressive, because frankly I didn’t want to spend years trying to reach remission. So, August of 2016, a week after my diagnosis, I started an aggressive treatment of chemotherapy and radiation.

In January of 2017 I received a bone marrow transplant and was able to reach remission.

While I reached remission, the damage to body from the chemo and radiation has been ongoing. I developed GVHD, Graft Vs Host Disease. This disease has caused so much havoc especially to my teeth and esophagus. I have gotten to the point within the last 4 years I had to have all my teeth removed, and my esophagus replaced with a 1/3rd of my colon. I had to have a feeding tube put in 3 different time since developing GVHD, with the last time being January of 2022. As a result of the esophagus repair.

Due to the teeth removal and issues from the esophagus repair, I have been unable to eat solid foods since March of 2022. Now that the esophagus repair has had time to heal, and due to me not eating, I have to go once a month to get it stretched with the goal of being able to swallow food again.

Because of the lack of eating, and having to 100% rely on my feeding tube, I have lost weight and a large amount of muscle mass.

My goal in setting up this fundraiser is so I can get permanent dentures put in, so I can once again eat solid foods, get back the weight and muscle that has been loss and finally kick this last remnant of my cancer in the a$$.

If you are willing to donate and/or share this, I will forever be thankful.