Help Mr. Knox
Donation protected
Currently, a man who has dedicated his entire life to the kids of Baltimore, needs our help.
Mr. Anthony Knox, also known as Coach Knox, has been diagnosed with hATTR V1221, which is a strand of a very rare disease called Amyloidosis. This disease is caused by a mutant gene given by one of his parents, and doesn't present itself until later in life. The gene produces a protein in the liver that reproduces rapidly, then deposited into other vital organs, especially the heart. Because it is so rare, doctors didn't know to look for it when he first became ill.
The rigorous treatment for this disease has forced him out of work for over 2 months as he works with a team of about 8 different doctors. This disease causes massive amounts of fluid build up in his lungs, stomach cavity and heart; which requires a 3-4 hour long visit to the Diuresis Clinic 1-2 times per week, in addition to the massive amount of other doctor visits.
His doctors have since released him back to work, but advised him to reduce his work week to 3 days per week to give him the time off for rest and appointments; however, because he is an instructional employee, Baltimore City Schools will not allow him back to work, as they say he will need to be out more than 20% of his work week. They have not offered him any alternatives, such as a non-instructional position for the time being. Mr. Knox has exhausted all of his sick time, leaving him without a paycheck.
Any of you that know him, knows that Mr. Knox has put the children of Baltimore at the top of his priority list. He has been stabbed in a school as he fought off intruders, trying to protect the children and staff. He has been hailed as one of the greatest coaches in Baltimore. On many occasions, he has fed school children before he fed himself, he's clothed children, and made sure they always had a place to stay if things got rough at home. He was always actively involved with the community. Students, parents and other community members love him. Everyone felt safe knowing that Mr. Knox was in the building, because they knew he would never let anything happen to them.
While doing all of this work, he didn't realize that someone at the district level forgot to click the "state retirement" button; therefore, the state does not recognize some of his years of service, leaving him severely disadvantaged in this time of need. If he wants to retire out, he will first owe the state thousands of dollars to make up for the years missed, due to the districts neglect. The district recommended that he go out on disability retirement, but that means he can never work in a Maryland school with children again, working in a profession that he truly loves.
Mr. Knox has skipped important medical appointments because he was told he had finish paperwork form the day's incidents, or because he was worried about the well being of the students. His health was deteriorating and he ignored the warning signs, because he was ALWAYS putting the kids first.
For the first time in over 20 years, his body crashed and forced him out of work. Although he was fit and looked healthy on the outside, he couldn't even teach his Saturday morning spin classes at his local gym any more. After a year and a half of tests, he finally received the diagnosis. The doctors told him he only had 5 years left to live.
Procedure after procedure the doctors have worked to stabilize him so that he was well enough to go back to work, because his sick time was running out. A new medicine was approved in August for treatment that will stop the disease from progressing. This will give them more time to work to stabilize his body in preparation for an organ transplant. This is his only chance at living a full life.
The district refuses him permission to come back to work. He put in a request to have an accommodation or modification of work duties, and that request was denied.
He is no longer receiving a paycheck, and his benefits will cease. His bills will go further behind and medical treatment will stop. The treatment for this disease was quoted at $400,000.00 per year.
We are asking for your help. We know money is tight, but any little bit would be extremely helpful. Let's try to give back to someone who has always given to us.
Mr. Anthony Knox, also known as Coach Knox, has been diagnosed with hATTR V1221, which is a strand of a very rare disease called Amyloidosis. This disease is caused by a mutant gene given by one of his parents, and doesn't present itself until later in life. The gene produces a protein in the liver that reproduces rapidly, then deposited into other vital organs, especially the heart. Because it is so rare, doctors didn't know to look for it when he first became ill.
The rigorous treatment for this disease has forced him out of work for over 2 months as he works with a team of about 8 different doctors. This disease causes massive amounts of fluid build up in his lungs, stomach cavity and heart; which requires a 3-4 hour long visit to the Diuresis Clinic 1-2 times per week, in addition to the massive amount of other doctor visits.
His doctors have since released him back to work, but advised him to reduce his work week to 3 days per week to give him the time off for rest and appointments; however, because he is an instructional employee, Baltimore City Schools will not allow him back to work, as they say he will need to be out more than 20% of his work week. They have not offered him any alternatives, such as a non-instructional position for the time being. Mr. Knox has exhausted all of his sick time, leaving him without a paycheck.
Any of you that know him, knows that Mr. Knox has put the children of Baltimore at the top of his priority list. He has been stabbed in a school as he fought off intruders, trying to protect the children and staff. He has been hailed as one of the greatest coaches in Baltimore. On many occasions, he has fed school children before he fed himself, he's clothed children, and made sure they always had a place to stay if things got rough at home. He was always actively involved with the community. Students, parents and other community members love him. Everyone felt safe knowing that Mr. Knox was in the building, because they knew he would never let anything happen to them.
While doing all of this work, he didn't realize that someone at the district level forgot to click the "state retirement" button; therefore, the state does not recognize some of his years of service, leaving him severely disadvantaged in this time of need. If he wants to retire out, he will first owe the state thousands of dollars to make up for the years missed, due to the districts neglect. The district recommended that he go out on disability retirement, but that means he can never work in a Maryland school with children again, working in a profession that he truly loves.
Mr. Knox has skipped important medical appointments because he was told he had finish paperwork form the day's incidents, or because he was worried about the well being of the students. His health was deteriorating and he ignored the warning signs, because he was ALWAYS putting the kids first.
For the first time in over 20 years, his body crashed and forced him out of work. Although he was fit and looked healthy on the outside, he couldn't even teach his Saturday morning spin classes at his local gym any more. After a year and a half of tests, he finally received the diagnosis. The doctors told him he only had 5 years left to live.
Procedure after procedure the doctors have worked to stabilize him so that he was well enough to go back to work, because his sick time was running out. A new medicine was approved in August for treatment that will stop the disease from progressing. This will give them more time to work to stabilize his body in preparation for an organ transplant. This is his only chance at living a full life.
The district refuses him permission to come back to work. He put in a request to have an accommodation or modification of work duties, and that request was denied.
He is no longer receiving a paycheck, and his benefits will cease. His bills will go further behind and medical treatment will stop. The treatment for this disease was quoted at $400,000.00 per year.
We are asking for your help. We know money is tight, but any little bit would be extremely helpful. Let's try to give back to someone who has always given to us.
Fundraising team (2)
Brittany Jade
Organizer
Delta, PA
Amanda Peyton
Team member
