My name is Mark Hackbarth, and I am the union representative for Jason Sharpe. Jason is a 28 year-old custodial and maintenance employee at Coleman High School in Coleman, Michigan. In January, Jason was diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening congenital neck issue that needed surgical correction. Jason had surgery in March and developed severe complications that required hospitalization in ICU and a second emergency surgery. Due to his recovery restrictions, Jason has been unable to return to work.

After Jason exhausted his sick time and FMLA leave, he applied for long-term disability, but there were some initial issues with the disability insurance. In total, Jason was without any income for 5 months. As a result, he may need to file for medical bankruptcy and fears that he will get evicted from his apartment and have his vehicle repossessed.

Jason was scheduled to have a CT scan in August that would have potentially allowed him to return to work in early September. However, in July, Jason was informed by the school district that they were terminating his health insurance. Without health insurance, Jason had to cancel the CT scan, and he cannot get the approval from his physician to return to work until he has the results of the scan. Jason is struggling to afford food and rent so he needs our help to afford the COBRA payments that will allow him to maintain his health insurance and pay for the necessary medical test. Jason wants nothing more than to be able to return to work as soon as possible.

We are seeking donations to help Jason pay for his health insurance and any uncovered costs of the necessary medical tests that could clear him to return to work. Any additional funds will be used to help with Jason's living expenses. We would appreciate any donation no matter how small. Thank you!