Nick’s Ulcerative Colitis and J Pouch Surgery Fund
My husband Nick is one of the most humble, kind, and loving people ever! I am so blessed to be his wife. Those of you that have the privilege to know Nick, would completely agree.
Many of you may not know that Nick has Ulcerative Colitis. UC is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease in which abnormal reactions of the immune system cause inflammation and ulcers on the inner lining of the large intestine or colon. Nick has had Ulcerative Colitis since 2008. People with UC often take immuno -suppressant medication like Humira to help prevent the immune system from attacking the colon resulting in diarrhea and blood loss, which if left untreated, can be life-threatening. Even though Nick was on Humira to control his UC, we knew that eventually his colon would have to be removed. In Nick’s very severe case of Ulcerative Colitis, hundreds of pseudo polyps had developed in his colon making it impossible for his doctors, during his annual colonoscopies, to definitively tell if there are any precancerous or cancerous polyps present. His doctor said Nick’s UC case was one of the worst cases he had seen in his entire career. This past March, Nick, his doctors and our family, decided that with Nick turning 40 soon, the risk of potential cancer going undetected due to the state of his colon, was too high. So we all decided surgery to remove the colon was the safest and best option for Nick’s long-term health. The surgery that his surgeon recommend involved creating a J pouch, or internal pouch, which will take the place of his colon, so that he is able to have bowel movements normally. The j- pouch surgery actually consists of 3 separate and major surgeries. He is in the hospital for 4-7 days after each surgery. The first surgery occurred April 6th and this was to remove his colon and give him an external ostomy bag. The second surgery includes creation of the j pouch, and loop ostomy to divert fecal matter away from the pouch temporarily. In the third surgery the ostomy connection or stoma on the outside is removed, sewn up, and the j-pouch is attached to the small intestine and rectum so that Nick will be able to have normal bowel movements. Each of these 3 surgeries requires a 4-7 day hospital stay, and 1 month of restrictions that include not lifting more than 10 pounds, not driving for two weeks, and not working at all for 1 month. The surgeries are 8-10 weeks apart. The second surgery will occur on June 22nd and the third and final surgery sometime around Labor Day. This is an extremely difficult process over the course of about 6 months for both of us mentally and physically. Due to the seriousness of these surgeries, not only can Nick not work for about month with each surgery, I need to take off 6 days with each surgery to take care of him. I created this go fund me in the hopes that we would be able to cover the out of pocket portion of the medical bills, the cost of needed medical devices and supplies that are not covered by insurance, as well as decreased income for Nick and I. We really struggled with asking for help, as we are both really grateful for the jobs and home we have. However, we realized that with all the increased expenses and decreased wages, we needed to call on our friends, family, and the Catholic faith community to assist us in our time of need so we are able to cover our basic living expenses. Nick and I are both devout Catholics and always keep God at the center of our triumphs and struggles. We also ask for prayers for Nick and his healing throughout this process as well as for his surgeon to be guided by God. We are extremely thankful and appreciative to anyone who is able to donate or pray for him and us. I will post updates for the next two surgeries to this site as well for those wishing to follow Nick’s journey.
God Bless, Nick & Chelsea
