This fundraiser is organized by John’s three sisters: Pamela, Rochelle, and Kristina.
Our brother, John, needs your help and generous heart.
We established this fund to assist John and his family with the medical expenses not covered by insurance. We are asking for $98,325 to help John remain at a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility where he can continue weaning from the ventilator. His family must pay $855 per day at the facility after the first 30 days are covered by insurance. If John returns home to be with his wife and children, these funds will be used to pay the cost of private nursing care which also is not covered by insurance. Any remaining money will be applied toward college saving accounts for Madeline, Nora, and Jack in honor of their father.
John is an original. Just ask anyone who knows him. He is imaginative, goal-oriented, humble, and fun-loving. When you hang out with John, you know an adventure is awaiting you. Only John would organize “sock baseball” games in the family room, tie a bedsheet between the two posts of our parents’ bed to create an Olympic style high jump, and set up an obstacle course throughout the house to entertain his younger sisters. Only John would read adventure fiction and become the main character for weeks, or even months. Only John would send his older sister on a scavenger hunt to find her 18th birthday gift, expecting her to dive to the bottom of the swimming pool to retrieve a clue! Only John would set New Year’s resolutions for his sisters and brother-in-law – when they were adults! John has the unique ability to take mundane, everyday situations and turn them into games that end in laughter and great memories. This is exactly what makes him such an incredible husband, father, friend, son, uncle, and brother.
Decades later, our adventuresome brother, John, is fighting for his life, and he needs your help.
Two years ago, John was diagnosed with a rare, progressive neurological disease called Corticobasal Syndrome (CBS). Approximately 5 per 100,000 people are diagnosed with CBS. The exact underlying cause of this disease is unknown. CBS can quickly take away one’s ability to maintain balance, walk, button a shirt or pants, laugh, or swallow safely. For John, these basic abilities have been replaced by muscle rigidity, immense pain, overwhelming fatigue, risk of choking, and ruthless sleep disruption. CBS is a horrible disease that has no cure.
Having a family member diagnosed with a terminal disease is heart wrenching. John has always been fit, active and healthy. He has run multiple marathons – sometimes without training for them.
John found a soulmate in his beautiful wife, Gabrielle. They have been married for 15 years and are raising three energetic and talented children: Madeleine (12), Nora (11), and Jack (7). More recently, they added a furry family member – a border terrier named Thumos. They are a loving and generous Catholic family who maintain strong values and active involvement in their church, school, and community – even throughout these last two challenging years.
In early May of this year, John’s condition progressed to the point where he retired from his job at Cognizant. Shortly thereafter, he displayed cold-like symptoms which quickly and unexpectedly progressed to double lung pneumonia. On Thursday, May 27, John was enjoying lunch with a friend and by Monday, May 31, he was rushed to the hospital, unable to breathe sufficiently. That very day, John was intubated, placed on a ventilator, and admitted to the ICU. A week later, John and Gabrielle made the heart wrenching decision to give him a tracheostomy and insert a feeding tube directly into his stomach. This took away his ability to speak, but John began painstakingly pointing to letters to spell words. After 6 weeks in the ICU, John was stable enough to transition to a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility where he began the lengthy process of weaning from the ventilator. At last, John could enjoy visits with each of his children! While his body continued to be attacked by various infections, John quickly established a reputation as a hard-working patient during physical, occupational, and speech therapies.
John continues to deal with his disease and the complications of CBS – including pneumonia – with grace, courage, and spiritual fortitude. Through all of this, John has remained faithful to the God who created him. He has never complained, even though he has seen his vibrant and active life reduced to the confines of his hospital bed. He has never once asked – “Why me?” John’s unselfishness is unwavering as he worries about the immense financial pressure on his wife to pay massive medical bills that exceed insurance’s payments. Gabrielle is a tremendous source of support and faithful encouragement to John. She is managing his healthcare while caring for their children, and now she is the family’s sole income provider.
John has a long road ahead – including weaning from the ventilator, healing from pneumonia and other infections, and receiving therapies to build strength and stability. Please give John and Gabrielle a financial gift to provide medically necessary care not covered by insurance. Please help John breathe.
Our brother, John, is a wonderful man who has impacted many lives with his laughter, creativity, “perfect plans,” and genuine desire to be the best husband and father he can be. We hope to take care of John – just the way he has loved and cared for so many of us. Thank you for your supporting John through your prayers and your generous donation.