Support for Jim Weinert after spine surgery

Dear friends, family, and kind-hearted strangers,

I’m reaching out on behalf of my father, Jim Weinert. My entire life, I’ve watched him be the most selfless person I have ever known. From fighting tooth and nail to get full custody of me as a young 21 year old single father, to always being willing to help anyone he can with household repairs, vehicle maintenance and repairs, even financially whenever he was able to. As long as I can remember, he has always put everyone else before himself, even to his own detriment. Since July 6th, 1987, he has sacrificed so much to make sure I had everything I ever needed. No matter how tight money was, I never once went without a single thing I needed (or wanted), even if it meant he went without his own basic necessities. I’ve always been able to count on my father to be there for me (and now my family of 6), no matter what. I know he will drop everything to help. Heck, last year he was preparing to move my entire family (6 people, a dog and a cat) into his 600 sq foot home with him when we were about to lose plumbing for a few days in our own home!

My father has made a modest living for himself as a self employed contractor. He’s spent decades teaching himself everything there is to know about electric work, plumbing, woodworking, home repairs, car repairs, etc. He has used this knowledge to build his business, Weinert Construction, purely on word of mouth recommendations and loyal customers. Some he has had for almost 30 years!

In recent years, his health has begun to decline. He has had back pain his entire life, but in spring of 2023, he fell off a ladder. From there on out, his physical condition spiraled and by December 14th, 2023, he completely lost the ability to walk and ended up in the ER in Palos Heights. Here he learned about his severe multilevel disc degeneration. At this point he was referred to an orthopedic surgeon and a pain management specialist, but unfortunately his insurance declined every appointment, procedure and treatment. His condition continued to decline while seeking out treatments but he kept being met with denial after denial from his insurance. Finally, by October 2024, we found an orthopedic surgeon, Dr Lee through UIC, that accepted his insurance. Over the next several months, he was able to get every diagnostic test needed and learned more about his multilevel disc degeneration, spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, radicuopathy, retrolisthesis, anterolisthesis, multilevel osteoarthritis and calcified atherosclerotic disease. He saw the extent of which vertebrae were turning in different directions, crushing the nerves in his spine, causing him immense amounts of debilitating pain. Here is where he also learned that he would need multiple surgeries on his spine. He was sent to physical therapy and received spinal injections and was finally approved for surgery in January of 2025. He had to meet with a few more specialists in preparation, and finally in February he received his surgery date - March 27, 2025!

During this time, work was so hard for him due to the physical nature of his job. He accepted any jobs he could to make ends meet and have enough to pay his rent and utilities, without much leftover. A few hours of work would leave him near tears, but he pushed through the agony because he needed to survive somehow. He tried his best to work up until his surgery, but unfortunately was not able to work enough to cover more than a few weeks of expenses.

At 4am on Thursday, March 27th, 2025, we began our journey to UIC’s Center for Care and Discovery hospital where my father had 3 different surgeries done on his spine - he had a lumbar laminectomy, discectomy, and a PLIF spinal fusion. The surgery went well, Dr Lee told me it was a “very textbook and boring” procedure, which was wonderful because that means there were no complications!

He was originally expected to spend 1-2 nights max in the hospital, but he ended up being there for 4 days & 3 nights due to complications that arose in recovery. He was discharged on Sunday 3/30 and has been recovering in my home since.

His recovery is going well, he’s feeling better and better everyday! Despite having a massive surgery on his spine less than 1 week ago, and being limited in walking (and activity in general) he is walking better than he has in years!

While the surgery was necessary to relieve his pain and improve his quality of life, it has left him unable to work for the foreseeable future. His recovery will be long and difficult, requiring extensive rest, rehabilitation, and medical care. The loss of income, combined with mounting medical bills and daily living expenses, has put a tremendous financial strain on him.

While doctors likely had a good chuckle when he told them he needs to be back to work within 2 weeks, unfortunately, he is likely to be out of work for a minimum of 3-6 months, if not longer. Full recovery and full fusion can take anywhere from 12 - 24 months!

We are asking for support to help cover his medical costs, rehabilitation, and essential expenses while he focuses on healing.

Any donation, no matter how small, will make a huge difference in ensuring he gets the care he needs without the added stress of financial hardship. If you’re unable to contribute financially, we’d deeply appreciate it if you could share this fundraiser with others.

Thank you for your kindness, generosity, and support during this challenging time. We are incredibly grateful for everyone’s love and support.

With love and gratitude,

Jen Chamberlin