***To Friends of Kirk***

Kirk passed away on August 10. He made 43 in June.

Every donation that was previously made was greatly appreciated and used by Kirk for his comfort, medical, and personal effects. It meant the world to him and he was so grateful for everyone's kindness.

Kirk and Kevin were blessed that they were able to be on the phone with each other from the morning till night this past year. It was a true blessing that they were able to communicate as much as they did. There would be a lot of silence, but just being on the phone was a blessing.

Instead of flowers, Kirk would like to find a cure for hereditary spastic paraplegia. Any future donations will go to this cause, specifically through the SPASTIC PARAPLEGIA FOUNDATION.

Kevin would like everyone to know how much he is thankful for all the help and support, especially from Chad Saltzman and Clay Madden. We love you Kirk.

***KIRK UPDATE***

Kirk has been in and out of the hospital all this past year, having to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas there. His conditions have intensified, with respiratory lung disease impacting Kirk's ability to talk like he used to. He's been bedridden for quite some time now, which as you can imagine is extremely hard to come to terms with. It's more than anyone should have to bear, but when talking to Kirk he still keeps a positive attitude. He's in need of any financial donations that you can spare, along with a text, e-mail, or phone call to brighten his day. All donations will be used for food (Kirk's on a special diet), clothes, cell phone, and other necessities. He asked me to thank each and every one of you who have donated to his cause...he feels truly blessed. Thanks all!

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As humans, we often fall prey to living in our own bubble and lose track of old friends whose life path might not have turned out quite as lucky as ours. Sometimes we're dealt an unlucky hand that is out of our control.  For those of us currently in good health, it's easy to not pay attention or understand how different our lives could be if it was us dealt that unlucky hand.  Our lives can easily change with the blink of an eye, but one thing we can currently control is being there for others when they need us most.  

I grew up with Kirk in Mandeville, LA. We lived together after college. We shared more laughs and memories than I can count.  Like a lot of us, when I started my career, moved away, got married, and had a child, I didn't do the best job of staying in touch with some of the people who meant the most to me when I was younger. When I first learned of Kirk being diagnosed with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), it took me by surprise. The Kirk I knew played on our high school football team and was a beast in the gym.  I remember the first time I saw Kirk after learning of his diagnosis, he had a walking cane when we went out in Nola. He was the same Kirk, but I realized then that his life going forward would not be the same as we all envision it to be. That didn't stop us from having a fun night out, reminiscing of our earlier days, nor did it stop Kirk from fighting through this next journey in life.

For those of you that are not familiar with HSP, it is an inherited disorder that is characterized by progressive weakness and spasticity (stiffness) of the legs. Symptoms typically slowly progress so that eventually individuals with HSP require the assistance of a cane, walker, or in Kirk's case, a scooter. There are no specific treatments to prevent, slow, or reverse HSP. It's difficult to know exactly how many people have HSP because it's often misdiagnosed, but it's believed the number is close to 1 in 77,000 people.  

In addition to HSP, Kirk suffers from several other rare conditions. He has Erythemalgia, a rare condition with no cure that primarily affects the feet and brings an intense burning pain with severe redness.  He also has Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (EPP) which is a rare inherited metabolic disorder that causes hypersensitivity of the skin to sunlight, causing the skin to become itchy and red, often with a burning sensation. Over the last several years, Kirk has developed a venous insufficiency ulcer on his lower left leg too. Just writing this brings pain to my heart thinking about what Kirk has been enduring on a daily basis, not only physically, but mentally as well.  Kirk is currently living in a nursing home at the Jefferson Healthcare Center in Jefferson, LA. These conditions hinder his ability to perform everyday activities such as getting dressed or taking a shower. Most of his current doctors unfortunately haven't dealt with HSP before and it's been hard to find local doctors that are knowledgeable with his condition. Even at the nursing home, getting proper treatment has been difficult, and Kirk has relied on intense daily physical therapy. Through all of this, in my interactions with Kirk, he has maintained a positive attitude. I know for a lot of us, this would not be the case. God has been a major influence in this journey for him, and I for one am so proud of the man he is today. 

This Go Fund Me page will help cover some of Kirk's medical expenses, living expenses at the nursing home, food, hygiene, clothes, and supplies. Most of us probably can't appreciate the costs associated with these conditions, and Kirk has always been too proud to ever ask for anything before this. The Kirk I grew up with would give you the shirt off his back and would always make you feel better by cracking a joke or telling a funny story if you were down. This isn't a pity party for Kirk. He has already made so many of our lives better by just knowing him, and now this is our chance to say thank you. As humans, we often fall prey to living in our own bubble, but maybe this time we can do a little something for Kirk who really needs us now.  We love you Kirk and are so proud of you.

Thank you friends and supporters!

~ Friends of Kirk