Support Jay Rhodes' Journey to Healing

Dear friend & family,

Christine Cagle here, and I'm reaching out to the community on behalf of my best friend/partner, Jay Rhodes and his family. There are many tricky sides to this story-logistics, health, safety, & humanity. If you'll be patient, I'd be most grateful if you'd take the time to hear our story and also please share. This story has deep roots, in 2019, Jay was afflicted with COVID and was hospitalized because of adverse symptoms. He also lost his father, Howard Rhodes, several weeks prior due to COVID.

Om Aug. 25th, Jay Rhodes made the 911 call from his portable office, in Quincy, IL. EMS /Police responded & entered Jay’s Big rig, nicknamed ‘Goldie.’ He was in transport to pick up a delivery for his company, Wandering Souls, Llc. Jay was rushed to the VA hospital. 24 hours later he was released. After only driving another 20 miles, Jay had to make a second 911 call for the same symptoms, this time he was rushed to Blessings Hospital & has been undergoing treatment in the ICU ever since. Local authority, Police Chief Blakley came to the rescue of Princess- Jay’s 9 yr old pit bull, his bestie & travel buddy. He’s also been keeping a vigilant over Goldie’s safety. Ashton Rhodes, Jay’s daughter is our soldier with boots on the ground, and is keeping Jay company up in Quincy.

I owe bundles of gratitude to many folks up in Quincy & here at home, Kannapolis, NC. Thank you to my aunt Connie Cagle who was the team leader on Operation Princess. She & her close friend, Gina- drove about 850 miles each way & brought our baby girl, Princess home safely. Last but not least, thanks to my father, who's contributed in so many ways. Thanks to my extended family, and a handful of friends. You’ve been ultra supportive. Looks like Jay’s got a long road ahead to recovery. We are working with a local VA rep to get Jay home. As it stands now, he cannot be moved without the assistance of medical team. We're not sure how this will all unfold, as of today, we're looking at booking Mercy Flight to bring him home to recover. Of course, this will have to be paid out-of-pocket, and we're looking at around 10-16k for the flight. Jay will have months of respiratory therapy, physical, and psychological therapy to undergo before he is well again.

We are looking for any assistance to help us bring him home asap, so he can be close to family and friends. Please forward the link to our cause if you are able. I know many folks have endured challenges in life, we're asking for a little help for as many folks as possible. Thank you for your time, love, and caring. Stay healthy & vigilant out there. Remember, COVID is still a huge problem. Sincerely, Christine Cagle