The No-Fun Fungus Among Us

Hello! My name is Ken, and I am husband and father of 8, working in IT support. I'm here to ask for your help because I've been out of work since May, and as our family's sole income earner (... if I had to pay my wife for all she does, I couldn't afford her), we're facing significant hardship with more challenges on the horizon. I see that the grace of God and the kindness of others are our only paths through this, and I am hopeful, and we do believe, that we will make it through.

How'd we get here?

On May 17th of this year, I underwent sinus surgery at a veterans' hospital, which we hoped would be life-changing for the better. However, immediately following that surgery, I developed an incredibly rare fungal infection of the sinuses: mucormycosis, an extremely aggressive and life-threatening infection affecting fewer than 20 Americans annually.

Here's a frame from the scope in my nasal passage, showing the fungus as a field of angry cotton. To my children: Yes, Daddy is technically posting his boogers on the Internet, but you may not.

Mucormycosis is an infection where, similarly to cancer and chemotherapy, the treatment is intense. I was estimated at a 50% mortality rate, and the month I spent in the hospital, which included several more surgeries and high-powered medications, was touch-and-go as my kidneys were failing, my gallbladder was giving out, and I worked through other complications.

Amidst all that, managing 8 children single-handedly didn't prevent my amazing wife from driving 2 hours to the hospital, with all the kids and their homemade gifts, to visit me for Fathers' Day.

As a Christian, I know my fate is in His hands. I'm grateful that I am now stabilized, continuing treatment, and improving daily. I am now recovering from home while maintaining a strict treatment regimen, though it has its side effects.

Compounding that, earlier this year, we joyfully welcomed surprise triplets -- Ilana, Ivy, and Israel -- using most of my paid time-off, our savings, and all the help others could provide. We knew hyperovulation ran in the wife's family, but goodness! They were born happy and healthy in February, despite my wife spending almost a month in a high-risk OB unit after one of the sacs ruptured but miraculously sealed itself at 24 weeks.

What are we asking for?

Presently (as of 7/30), I am respectfully asking for your help with the following $60130 in expenses, quantified in order of importance:

While these are hardly all our expenses, we're working on everything from short-term disability to our state's financial assistance. We're confident that between all that, your help to offset our debts and expenses, our support network, and my continued recovery to the point of resuming full-time employment, we will continue putting food on the table and working out relocation without living in fear of going bankrupt or finding ourselves at the mercy of a terrible credit score in the country's worst market for buyers and renters. Even if this doesn't earn a dollar and a worst-case scenario is realized, we have our faith and each other, and that's so much to be thankful for -- no matter what happens.

Where are we going?

The estimated recovery time for mucormycosis is between 6 weeks and 6 months, but its rarity makes it difficult to predict with certainty. I work for an exceptional and graceful company who, while holding my position, has transitioned me from salary to hourly. Though I haven't been able to work a full hour yet, I expect that to change as my recovery continues.

One of the most heartbreaking aspects of this was discovering I am deathly allergic to the climate and nearly everything that grows where we are in upper Tennessee, including fungi. This is less than 2 years after we moved here, in what I promised my children would be our last move after moving roughly every 2 years for the past decade. Considering this alongside my recent Stage 2 COPD diagnosis (as a lifelong non-smoker, go figure), it's clear we're going to have to move, which will depend on what we learn in October.

Here was my allergy testing. On the bright side, I'm not allergic to cats!

Why is October important? My case is curious enough, because I don't fit the typical profile of a mucormycosis victim, that it's been picked up by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. In October, I'll be spending time inpatient with them to determine if or how my body is predisposed to fungal infections, if there's an underlying undiagnosed autoimmune disorder, or if there's no discernible explanation for why this infection attacked me. The outcome of that testing will determine where in the country will be the safest for my long-term health, e.g., New Mexico, with low cost of living but "Valley Fever" (a fungal infection), or Wyoming, with tougher winters but no prevalent fungal infections.

In closing...

We're going to miss Tennessee and our dream of a hobby farm, but we believe that for every door that closes, another opens. We're anxiously excited to see where the next chapter takes us.

Thank you so much for considering a donation to support our family when times are so tough for everybody. If you're unable to donate, that's okay! If you're the type, please pray for us, and if not, please think kindly towards our situation. We are determined and believe that we will get through, even when we don't know what that looks like. Thank you, and God bless.

Sincerely,

Ken, Amber, Gavin, Silas, Jace, Eli, Dahlia, Ilana, Ivy, and Israel