Stand with Jim Jarvis in His Health Struggles

When Jim and I got engaged in Virginia City, and married in Nevada City, he was a distance runner, a serious fly fisherman, and the hardest worker I’d ever known.  We bought an old home in Virginia City that he skillfully, and lovingly, renovated room by room, over the better part of a decade, all the while plunging himself into the work of historic preservation.  He was unstoppable.

And then he was diagnosed with MS. First his vision, and then his mobility limitations, kept him from doing everything he loved.  

And then he was diagnosed with melanoma and he went through 2 years of debilitating treatment that clashed with his MS treatment. He lost 25# and suffered 2 bouts of shingles, and a case of Guillain-Barré Syndrome.  It was brutal.  We sold our house, in part, to facilitate his treatment.

He never complained.  He kept trying, but ultimately lost the ability to do so much of the work that he loves. The man truly loves his work.

Now, the melanoma has metastasized to his bone and lung, and his diagnosis is terminal. And because of his MS, the treatment options to prolong his life are more limited than most cancer patients. He is only 58 years old.

Jim’s a proud man. He wants everyone to know that he feels ok right now, and that he’ll start another round of targeted immunotherapy soon.  

I’m telling you that melanoma is mean, the statistics are grim, and that he’s already quietly endured more than a decade of pain, loss, and indignity in a body that has completely betrayed him. This wasn’t supposed to be his life, and we’re both afraid for what’s coming.

I never thought we’d need to ask for help.  The money we raise from this effort will help us as we face what’s coming.

Thanks for your help. We’re deeply grateful.