Julian and Rob Emergency Fund

Dear Friends,

My name is Sharyl Smith.  I have created this GoFundMe page in hopes of raising some much-needed funds for my dear friends Rob Wilson and Julian. 

I met Rob and Julian back in 1987 when we all moved into the same apartment building. The building was new and almost like magic everyone who moved in shared the same sense of optimism about the future.  One of our neighbors later became my brother-in-law.  To this day many of us are still the closest of friends. That includes Rob and Julian. While I was raising my son Joshua as a single mom, Rob and Julian often acted as surrogate fathers helping Josh with his studies or just keeping him in line in general. Over the years they became close with my parents, in fact, my whole family, often celebrating holidays and birthdays with us. In 1994, when Rob and Julian celebrated their blessing in a religious ceremony, I was honored to be their ring-bearer.  And it’s also an honor for me to do whatever I can to help them out of their current crisis. 

Back in August of 2016, Rob awoke to excruciating pain in his back. The pain continued for several days.  Rob made an appointment with his doctor who referred him to a specialist, but since Rob had only basic insurance it took nearly two months for his first appointment.  X-rays showed serious spinal damage in Rob's lower back.  The specialist ordered an MRI, but his insurance would not approve it.  The specialist’s office tried over several months to get approval for the MRI, but his insurance denied it.  He was only permitted physical therapy and opiates.  Rob slowly became more and more debilitated, living on multiple pain medications, which lowered his immune system, severely affected his memory, and made him susceptible to bronchitis, which at one point turned into pneumonia, lasting two months.  He was only able to walk about ten feet before being in excruciating pain. 


Let me give you a little background on Rob and Julian.  Rob is a brilliant writer and director. Throughout his career, he has won an Emmy, a Cable Ace Award, a CINE Golden Eagle, and as a Story Producer won a New Media Award for a 3-D project, as well as being nominated several more times for an Emmy. His forté has always been writing and documentary filmmaking, telling poignant human stories and illuminating injustice wherever he found it.  


After several years in public relations helping clients win Emmys and other awards, Julian turned to writing, his first love, and in some ways, it was Julian and Rob’s mutual love for writing that brought them together.  Julian has written both published short stories and poetry and dozens of magazine articles.  He has also had a successful career as an audiobook narrator, voice-over artist, and actor.   Having had early successes makes their situation even more difficult for them; this is a time when they should be enjoying the fruits of their hard labor, but unfortunately, that has not been the case, even though neither of them has given up.


When Rob turned 65 in December 2017, he was eligible for Medicare and was finally able to have an MRI, more than a year after his first symptoms.  The MRI showed severe degeneration of one of his vertebrae in the L5-S1 region, and an advanced slippage of one vertebra over the one below ("spondylolisthesis"), causing the crushing of the disc and collapse of the narrow spaces where the nerves pass from his spinal cord to his legs.  In a few more months, without treatment, Rob risked the loss of his bladder and bowel functions and life in a wheelchair.  Surgery was his only option.  A procedure was scheduled for April 2018 but had to be put off twice because once again Rob came down with bronchitis and fever.  Finally, on June 20, 2018, Rob had spinal surgery.  His amazing surgeon also took some of Rob’s own stem cells and mixed them with embryonic stem cells to help create new bone in Rob’s lower back.  


After nearly three weeks in the hospital and acute rehabilitation, Rob was able to come home and start in-home physical therapy. Rob seemed well on the road to recovery, but then at about the three-month marker, the pain returned and again he had difficulty walking. He went back into physical therapy and had a series of epidural steroid injections, which blocked the pain for a few weeks.    Finally, after intensive physical therapy and increasing exercise, and a nerve block procedure this past January, he is beginning to experience some relief, along with continuing physical therapy and is now able to venture outside for the first time in two and a half years, and get back into the Nature he loves.


No one should be denied an MRI with the documented problems Rob has experienced and the pain he was in, but that is another discussion.  The fact that only once during that time was Rob able to temporarily work, much of the time on his back with ice packs,  is really the crux of the issue.


Julian, Rob’s partner of nearly 35 years, was doing his best to keep them afloat financially, but then it became clear that Julian had to devote a lot more of his time to caring for Rob, and that demand only grew as Rob became more disabled. Sitting at the computer was impossible, as was standing for any length of time.  Walking was out of the question.  Rob became severely depressed and lost the mental energy to create.  For a while they were able to get by, then went to family and non-profits for help, but those were only of limited help.  Last August 2017 Julian had to give up his Anthem Blue Cross insurance because he simply couldn’t keep up with the payments, a serious issue as he has suffered from chronic pancreatitis since 2011.  A family member was helping with his insurance, but they were no longer able to do so. 


At one point Rob applied for Disability, but since he has spent most of his career as a freelancer, he didn’t meet the government’s criteria.  He cashed in his DGA pension in 2017 to cover living expenses for most of that year but went through it all.   Julian continued working as an audiobook narrator, actor, and writer, but often was not able to work because of caring for Rob. 


Matka, one of Rob and Julian’s Rescue cats, was Rob’s constant companion.  If you can think of a boy and his dog, just replace the dog with a cat, Rob and Matka were that close.  At about the same time Rob became incapacitated, Matka suddenly lost her eyesight.  A veterinary ophthalmologist said her retinas had detached from high blood pressure.  Rob and Julian ran up Vet bills in the thousands, and with treatment, Matka's eyesight miraculously returned.  But then she was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis, just like Julian.  At first, it was manageable, but over time her health began to deteriorate.  Their vet was kind enough to let them run a bill.  In September 2018, Matka died.  It was a devastating loss for Rob and Julian, most especially for Rob.  They had built an incredibly special bond from the early days when they first adopted her from the shelter in 2012.   On top of the thousands they charged on credit cards for their beloved Matka, their outstanding bill at the vet's is more than $4000.


Now it is January 2019 and their debts have become overwhelming. They have not yet paid their rent for January or February,  and they are worried an eviction notice may be forthcoming.  They have lived in their apartment since 1987, more than 30 years. It is their home and their one cat is their family.  They have maxed out their few credit cards and borrowed to stay afloat. They are out of options.   Now, they need our help.  


This is truly an emergency.  I adore and love Rob and Julian so much.  If you are not able to give, please pass this on to anyone who might be able to donate.  Anything you can do to help would be such a blessing for them. 



With love and so much gratitude,




 

Sharyl Smith

[email redacted] 

https://www.gofundme.com/julian-and-rob-emergency-fund








Matka