Support Kurt Thorson and His Family
Donation protected
Kurt Thorson, our friend and neighbor, needs our help. The funds we raise will help to cover $3200/month cost of care givers, and the cost of a specially equipped mobility van with a wheelchair lift.
Special News: Kurt will have an eye-gaze communication device in a few weeks and will be able to add his own message here!
Following is a message written by John Elias:
Kurt, since I first met him as a young boy, has always embodied the spirit of a true warrior. Not a person who thrives off of conflict, but one who is relentless in his actions. One who will not give up until he conquers the goals he has set for himself. It seemed as though there was nothing he couldn’t do or didn’t know how to do. He built beautiful homes, by himself, sometimes it seemed out of logs he single sourced from the ocean! He traveled the world as a photographer, capturing the beauty this world has to offer. He taught himself how to weave baskets out of tree bark during the day and then at night would play the guitar or piano, filling the house with music. There were times I would swear he did not have an off button. Growing up with him as a mentor and father figure taught me many things about how life can give you everything you want as long as you put the effort in.
Now that warrior spirit is trapped inside its own body. Kurt has ALS along with high levels of heavy metals. ALS is not a disease as such, but a constellation of symptoms that affect each person differently. One commonality those with ALS have is that toxins cross the blood-brain barrier through a breach in the spinal column and wreak havoc on the nervous system. These toxins find a source of energy and then multiply exponentially. Kurt is still very much himself in mind and spirit, but because of the toxins attacking his nervous system, he no longer is able to control his own body, relying on 24/7 care from his partner Robin and part-time team of caregivers.
Kurt knows there is no cure for ALS, but it is also not in his nature to give up. He has crossed paths with people who have, through experimentation, halted and even reversed their symptoms. Knowing that gives some hope to the situation and Kurt is working with a doctor who is also relentless in his pursuit to address the various issues: mercury toxicity, lead poisoning (and other heavy metals), mold and Lyme disease. This doctor through his own experiences and various published studies is doing every conceivable thing in a race against time to see whether it is possible to halt the rapid progression. Though the doctor is not covered under Kurt’s insurance he has been sensitive to the burden such treatments place on Kurt and his family’s financing. So far this has been made possibly in a large part to the generosity of his community. But more is needed.
Because Kurt lives on Orcas Island, and his mobility requires the help of others, he needs a van with a manual-wheelchair lift to travel to doctor appointments off island. Kurt is slowly losing his ability to communicate. The ability to use his hands left some time ago and his voice is now growing fainter. He will require devices and voice assistive therapy to help communicate his basic needs.
To cover these costs Kurt needs to raise $35,000.
In addition, because stem cell treatments have supported ALS patients, the treatments are another goal. However, it is not possible to start treatments until the heavy metal toxicity is resolved. Once it is though the stem cell treatments are expensive. Our hope is that by raising this money his doctor can get to the point where there are no restrictions on what tools he can try to halt some of these debilitating symptoms.
Thank you so much for supporting Kurt and his family.
Special News: Kurt will have an eye-gaze communication device in a few weeks and will be able to add his own message here!
Following is a message written by John Elias:
Kurt, since I first met him as a young boy, has always embodied the spirit of a true warrior. Not a person who thrives off of conflict, but one who is relentless in his actions. One who will not give up until he conquers the goals he has set for himself. It seemed as though there was nothing he couldn’t do or didn’t know how to do. He built beautiful homes, by himself, sometimes it seemed out of logs he single sourced from the ocean! He traveled the world as a photographer, capturing the beauty this world has to offer. He taught himself how to weave baskets out of tree bark during the day and then at night would play the guitar or piano, filling the house with music. There were times I would swear he did not have an off button. Growing up with him as a mentor and father figure taught me many things about how life can give you everything you want as long as you put the effort in.
Now that warrior spirit is trapped inside its own body. Kurt has ALS along with high levels of heavy metals. ALS is not a disease as such, but a constellation of symptoms that affect each person differently. One commonality those with ALS have is that toxins cross the blood-brain barrier through a breach in the spinal column and wreak havoc on the nervous system. These toxins find a source of energy and then multiply exponentially. Kurt is still very much himself in mind and spirit, but because of the toxins attacking his nervous system, he no longer is able to control his own body, relying on 24/7 care from his partner Robin and part-time team of caregivers.
Kurt knows there is no cure for ALS, but it is also not in his nature to give up. He has crossed paths with people who have, through experimentation, halted and even reversed their symptoms. Knowing that gives some hope to the situation and Kurt is working with a doctor who is also relentless in his pursuit to address the various issues: mercury toxicity, lead poisoning (and other heavy metals), mold and Lyme disease. This doctor through his own experiences and various published studies is doing every conceivable thing in a race against time to see whether it is possible to halt the rapid progression. Though the doctor is not covered under Kurt’s insurance he has been sensitive to the burden such treatments place on Kurt and his family’s financing. So far this has been made possibly in a large part to the generosity of his community. But more is needed.
Because Kurt lives on Orcas Island, and his mobility requires the help of others, he needs a van with a manual-wheelchair lift to travel to doctor appointments off island. Kurt is slowly losing his ability to communicate. The ability to use his hands left some time ago and his voice is now growing fainter. He will require devices and voice assistive therapy to help communicate his basic needs.
To cover these costs Kurt needs to raise $35,000.
In addition, because stem cell treatments have supported ALS patients, the treatments are another goal. However, it is not possible to start treatments until the heavy metal toxicity is resolved. Once it is though the stem cell treatments are expensive. Our hope is that by raising this money his doctor can get to the point where there are no restrictions on what tools he can try to halt some of these debilitating symptoms.
Thank you so much for supporting Kurt and his family.
Organizer and beneficiary
Penny Sharp Sky
Organizer
Eastsound, WA
Robin Freeman
Beneficiary
