The Story:

Hey everyone,

This is incredibly hard for me to write. Anyone who knows me knows that I am fiercely independent, I pride myself on working hard in the service for others and I absolutely hate asking for help. But right now, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I’ve had to swallow my pride. I am facing a severe medical crisis that has completely flipped my life upside down, and I am running out of options to keep a roof over my head.

To give you the full picture of what’s been going on behind the scenes: Doctors recently discovered a large mass on my spinal cord that stretches all the way from my L2 to my S1 vertebrae. While they believe it is benign, it is actively compressing my spinal cord. On top of that, my thoracic spine have mostly fused together on their own. In my cervical spine alone. I have severe spinal stenosis and four problem discs—two of which are also compressing my spinal cord with severe foraminal narrowing. Because of the severe nerve compression, my balance is heavily compromised. My doctor told me to use a walker or a cane. While I gave him a piece of my mind about the walker, I’ve had to compromise and use a cane for longer walks just to stay upright. The compression is that serious. I already tried to get a head start on fixing this, but hit a devastating roadblock. I went in for a critical cervical spine surgery and was fully put under anesthesia. When I woke up in recovery, I thought the procedure was finished and that I was on the road to healing. Instead, the doctors broke the news that they couldn't perform the surgery. Due to the high structural density of my tissue and neck anatomy, they simply could not get clear enough intraoperative imaging to safely proceed without risking permanent nerve damage. Waking up to find out nothing had been fixed was absolutely heartbreaking. Now, I am facing a series of complex surgeries to stop this spinal progression from paralyzing me. Because of the constant, severe pain and upcoming surgeries, my doctor has completely ruled out working for the foreseeable future. I am also in a pain management program, meaning I cannot safely drive. As a result, I am in financial ruin. I am doing what small things I can from home to try to make ends meet, but it isn't enough. I have applied for long-term disability and housing assistance, but as many of you know, the waiting periods for these programs take many months or even years. In the meantime, bills are piling up, and I am facing the reality of losing my housing before the safety net kicks in. I am not looking for sympathy, and I find crowdfunding incredibly difficult to do. But I need a temporary financial bridge to survive this waiting period and get through these surgeries. Every single dollar raised will go directly toward keeping a roof over my head, utilities paid, and covering basic necessities while I fight to get my health back. If you are able to donate, please know that it means the world to me. If you can’t, simply sharing this link or sending some kind words and encouragement means just as much. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for reading this and for standing by me.

Love,

John