Medical Expenses for Jesse Kroeze
Donation protected
On December 22, We brought Jesse to the ER at St. Joseph's University Medical Center (Paterson, NJ) for what we thought was a worsening flu - severe dehydration and some confusion. He was previously tested positive for the flu two days before. It seems as though the flu infection brought to light or flared up a more significant infection happening within his body.
Jesse has been diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis which is an infection on and in his heart valve. He was born with a bicuspid aortic valve (most people have a tricuspid), so we have always known that he would eventually need a heart valve replacement. In fact, he told me this on our very first date! Although of course we had hoped that type of surgery would happen under different conditions.
The infection has spread from his heart through his blood to various organs as well as resulting in some strokes on both sides of the brain. He has limited mobility in his left arm and weakness in his left leg, however we are starting to see him gaining strength and signs of the strokes healing. Although they have not yet been able to identify the source of infection or the actual bacteria causing the infection, the treatment of antibiotics he has been receiving seem to be slowly knocking it out.
He is receiving excellent health care with a large team of doctors closely monitoring all aspects of his infection and heart condition. Collectively, they want to see the infection clear further in his body before surgery and also allow time for the strokes to heal so that it will lower the risk of brain bleeds or greater stroke during surgery. Surgery may happen within 1-2 weeks to replace his valve.
Given all of this, we are anticipating a lengthy hospital stay and need for post-acute care. We do have health insurance and know that the majority of expenses should be covered, however they have done more tests imaginable and continue to do so. We are sure that there will be a portion of expenses that will not be covered. So far I just put in a number but will update and change as we get a better idea of what expenses we are looking at.
As both of us are vocational missionaries, we raise our salaries based upon individual giving and a close financial support team that believes in us and our ministry. We do not have a large amount of savings and are asking for our friends and family to support us with these anticipated expenses.
I (Andrea, his wife) will be establishing a separate medical account for all medical bills to be paid through. Any monies raised over and above that are not needed for medical bills will be donated to Touch The World, where Jesse serves as the Executive Director.
**Did you find our page from a friend of a friend? Let me tell you a little more about our Jesse, our family and Touch The World.
Jesse and I met while we were both working at Touch The World (TTW) in 2005 and were married in 2006. In 2008, we moved to Uganda, Africa to serve as missionaries with TTW. There we helped work with a rural village that was recovering from decades of war. Through the work we were able to do there, clean water was provided to the community, as well as the start of a large scale medical center, agricultural projects, children's outreach and pastoral training. (Click here to see what is happening in Uganda today, now under the leadership of Terebinth Ministries. ) We lived and served in Uganda for 5 years, during that time adding three children to our family who are now 15 (Paulina), 8 (Kayleigh), and 5 (Noah) years old.
In 2013, we were asked to return to NJ for Jesse to take over as Executive Director of TTW in our headquarter office. At TTW, our mission is to equip youth to live out the mission of God every day, everywhere. We do this primarily through the vehicle of short-term missions trips - training and equipping youth to go and serve around their country and the world, getting out of their comfort zone and experiencing God in a deep and meaningful way that their they would choose to take their faith as their own and commit to living their life for Him. We have an incredible team of staff, who are family to us, and we are 100% confident in TTW moving forward in these coming months while Jesse recovers and I support him.
www.touchtheworld.org
And lastly, I could not finish writing this (lengthy, sorry!) introduction without stating that we are fully confident in Jesse's healing because our trust is fully in the Lord Jesus Christ. We see him at work in all of this and can point to many things going weeks and months back that have made this the time for the surgery to be needed. Jesse being in the hospital right now is not at all a surprise to God and therefore, we will not be afraid. We put our full confidence in Jesus Christ, who is the author and perfecter of our faith and God the Father, the Creator of Jesse's body to restore him to full health.
My anchor verse over these past few days has come from Psalm 33:4-5 (MSG), "For God's Word is solid to the core; everything he makes is sound inside and out. He loves it when everything fits, when his world is in plumb-line true." All of the promises I know about God and are found in his Word can be trusted. He is faithful.
Psalm 33:20-22 (NIV)
"We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us Lord, even as we put our hope in you."
Our hope is fully found in Jesus Christ and we stand confident in his promises that Jesse will be healed from this infection and come through this surgery. So here is to a new year - and a new heart!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support and outpouring of love.
Jesse has been diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis which is an infection on and in his heart valve. He was born with a bicuspid aortic valve (most people have a tricuspid), so we have always known that he would eventually need a heart valve replacement. In fact, he told me this on our very first date! Although of course we had hoped that type of surgery would happen under different conditions.
The infection has spread from his heart through his blood to various organs as well as resulting in some strokes on both sides of the brain. He has limited mobility in his left arm and weakness in his left leg, however we are starting to see him gaining strength and signs of the strokes healing. Although they have not yet been able to identify the source of infection or the actual bacteria causing the infection, the treatment of antibiotics he has been receiving seem to be slowly knocking it out.
He is receiving excellent health care with a large team of doctors closely monitoring all aspects of his infection and heart condition. Collectively, they want to see the infection clear further in his body before surgery and also allow time for the strokes to heal so that it will lower the risk of brain bleeds or greater stroke during surgery. Surgery may happen within 1-2 weeks to replace his valve.
Given all of this, we are anticipating a lengthy hospital stay and need for post-acute care. We do have health insurance and know that the majority of expenses should be covered, however they have done more tests imaginable and continue to do so. We are sure that there will be a portion of expenses that will not be covered. So far I just put in a number but will update and change as we get a better idea of what expenses we are looking at.
As both of us are vocational missionaries, we raise our salaries based upon individual giving and a close financial support team that believes in us and our ministry. We do not have a large amount of savings and are asking for our friends and family to support us with these anticipated expenses.
I (Andrea, his wife) will be establishing a separate medical account for all medical bills to be paid through. Any monies raised over and above that are not needed for medical bills will be donated to Touch The World, where Jesse serves as the Executive Director.
**Did you find our page from a friend of a friend? Let me tell you a little more about our Jesse, our family and Touch The World.
Jesse and I met while we were both working at Touch The World (TTW) in 2005 and were married in 2006. In 2008, we moved to Uganda, Africa to serve as missionaries with TTW. There we helped work with a rural village that was recovering from decades of war. Through the work we were able to do there, clean water was provided to the community, as well as the start of a large scale medical center, agricultural projects, children's outreach and pastoral training. (Click here to see what is happening in Uganda today, now under the leadership of Terebinth Ministries. ) We lived and served in Uganda for 5 years, during that time adding three children to our family who are now 15 (Paulina), 8 (Kayleigh), and 5 (Noah) years old.
In 2013, we were asked to return to NJ for Jesse to take over as Executive Director of TTW in our headquarter office. At TTW, our mission is to equip youth to live out the mission of God every day, everywhere. We do this primarily through the vehicle of short-term missions trips - training and equipping youth to go and serve around their country and the world, getting out of their comfort zone and experiencing God in a deep and meaningful way that their they would choose to take their faith as their own and commit to living their life for Him. We have an incredible team of staff, who are family to us, and we are 100% confident in TTW moving forward in these coming months while Jesse recovers and I support him.
www.touchtheworld.org
And lastly, I could not finish writing this (lengthy, sorry!) introduction without stating that we are fully confident in Jesse's healing because our trust is fully in the Lord Jesus Christ. We see him at work in all of this and can point to many things going weeks and months back that have made this the time for the surgery to be needed. Jesse being in the hospital right now is not at all a surprise to God and therefore, we will not be afraid. We put our full confidence in Jesus Christ, who is the author and perfecter of our faith and God the Father, the Creator of Jesse's body to restore him to full health.
My anchor verse over these past few days has come from Psalm 33:4-5 (MSG), "For God's Word is solid to the core; everything he makes is sound inside and out. He loves it when everything fits, when his world is in plumb-line true." All of the promises I know about God and are found in his Word can be trusted. He is faithful.
Psalm 33:20-22 (NIV)
"We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us Lord, even as we put our hope in you."
Our hope is fully found in Jesus Christ and we stand confident in his promises that Jesse will be healed from this infection and come through this surgery. So here is to a new year - and a new heart!
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support and outpouring of love.
Organizer
Andrea Kroeze
Organizer
Hawthorne, NJ
Begin your fundraising journey
