Hi, my name is Dan Lilly . I’m starting this go fund me to help my cousin Jason Pound and his family. Jason has taught in Urbana and Tolono for close to 20 years. I also work in the CU area and enjoy customers sharing their stories about how much they loved having Jason as a teacher. I know from these stories just how much Jason has given through the years. Those of us who know him personally know that teaching is more to Jason than just a job; he truly loves each student and puts his heart into teaching.

Saturday, November 13, I ran into Jason and his wife shopping in Champaign. We talked about our kids and life in general. We walked out together and the last thing Jason said was “Have a happy Thanksgiving.” Two hours later, I received a call that Jason was in route to Carle. The next call received was that Jason was in a fight for his life. After an MRI, it was found that both arteries in his neck were both blocked with clots. Without surgery, Jason was given roughly one hour to live and with surgery, a less than 10% chance to survive.

Emergency surgery was performed to remove one clot but the other side was just too risky. With thankfully one clot removed, Jason spent several days in critical care and then moved to the neurological ICU. Today Jason made it to Rehab. Jason has fought hard to beat the odds but now has a long road to recovery.

I’m asking for help for his family with medical expenses and continued medical needs for his continued road to recovery. Holidays will be hard for his family and the expenses that will follow will not be easy. This is a chance for all those that have been touched by Jason to give back even if it’s a small amount. Let’s ALL help get Jason back where his family can have him home and, if God’s willing, he can get back to teaching where he can impact even more lives.