Jamison's Ongoing Medical Expenses

Jamison, 28 years old, full of wry humor, tenderness, and a passion for fitness and bodybuilding, fell ill with ME in November 2010. What began as a really bad case of mononucleosis in his senior year of college at Sonoma State developed into ME. After countless visits to doctors he found a specialist who diagnosed him in June 2011. Since that time Jamison has valiantly attempted to maintain his health, independence, and good humor. He graduated and was able for a time to live independently in Santa Cruz, doing freelance writing to support himself. But his daily activities were severely curtailed by his illness--no movies with friends, no more weightlifting, no more beach walks, and limited time with people. Any single one of these activities depleted his energy enough to send him to bed for days. In November 2014 Jamison moved from Santa Cruz, California to live with his mom, Kathleen O’Halloran, in Tuolumne, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, because he was no longer able to care for himself without help. Christmas Day 2014 he attempted and failed to make it down the stairs in their home to celebrate with the family.

For months he was completely bedridden and unable to care for himself in any way. All day he remained in a darkened bedroom, unable to tolerate light or sound, able to make only the smallest movements of his body, unable to speak, eating only pureed foods through a straw, and fighting despair and loneliness.

Since January 2015, however, Jamison’s condition has slowly improved. He can now sit-up in bed, chew food, tolerate low light and speak short sentences. It's all thanks to the medications and IV treatments that he now relies on but cannot afford.

We are raising money to pay for medical treatment that is not covered by his state-provided health insurance and to pay for caregiving costs. Jamison finds himself in the dubious position of not making enough income to purchase a better insurance plan through Obamacare and instead having to rely on an abysmal plan provided by the state, which covers almost none of his treatments. We must raise the money for his IV treatments, medications, medical supplies, and to pay for caregivers. Jamison and his family have exhausted their financial resources caring for him.

Each month Jamison's medical and caregiver expenses reach an egregious figure. And without an income or any substantial help from the government he must get all the help he can. Here's a breakdown of his monthly expenses:

IV Saline ~ $600
Nurses and Doctors ~ $2,000
Caregivers ~ $2,500
Labwork ~$500
Medicine and supplements ~ $300
Misc. Supplies ~ $200
Total monthly expenses: ~$6,100
Total annual expenses: ~$73,200

We know there are many deserving causes seeking to raise money through this wonderful site. If Jamison’s story touches your heart please give whatever you can to help pay his medical and caregiving bills and perhaps consider making a reoccurring monthly donation so he knows he can rely on a certain amount of contributions each month. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Jamison's Blog:

https://jamisonwrites.com/

Jamison's Supply List:

https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3Q1TJN9M8H8KO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ip_wl_o_-

Trailer for Forgotten Plague, a documentary about ME, which features Jamison: http://www.forgottenplague.com

Read more on Jamison's blog