Latest update as of Apr 19, 2024

  • The past two months have been such a whirlwind, but the last two weeks have been awful rough. On the morning of April 5th, Freddie was completely incoherent, so he was taken to Baylor All Saints, where his liver specialist is. He was admitted with hepatic encephalopathy and spent 5 days in the hospital. The medication he now has to take for the foreseeable future is the same one that he had to forgo due to the cost being $3,000 for a month’s supply. Thankfully, with funds that had been donated, we were able to get the initial supply so that he could go home. Two days later, we found out he was approved for a program that covers the medication for the next year! That is an incredible blessing, but the costs are quickly increasing. He has to go to Waco twice a week for paracentesis and infusion, which costs around $200 a week. We’ve had to do labs just about weekly, which costs around $300 each time. Stacie has bounced between work and making it to his appointments, which means she’s lost income. Additional costs include other medications, gas, groceries to fit his diet, medical supplies, etc. He has an appointment to discuss the ongoing application for medicare/medicaid next week. We ask for prayers that everything works out and he will be approved soon! We appreciate every donation made through the link and by friends and family in other ways. If you would like to donate via another source, contact me, and we can get it figured out!


About this fundraiser

Freddie Jo won’t ask for help, so I’m asking for him. If you know him, you know how stubborn he is. Unfortunately, that stubbornness caused him to put his health on the back burner because he was “fine.” He is now fighting to get his life back, and we’re trying to navigate the healthcare system without medical insurance. It is an uphill battle. He was admitted to the hospital on 3/3 due to complications from cirrhosis, and the doctor told him with the current state of his liver, he would have 6 months, but with treatment, he could have more time. He had a paracentesis done, and the doctor prescribed medications to take in the interim. Due to cost, he had to forgo some of the initial medication options; just one medication cost $3,000. Between then and today (3/22), he has had 3 more ER visits, all of which included additional paracenteses to alleviate some of the fluid building up in his abdomen. We have hounded the specialist who received the referral but have yet to get an appointment. Once he gets in, we hope to start treatment quickly and have more time for him to enjoy life and for us to all make more memories. This fundraiser is for the cost of care and living expenses. He will be out of work for the foreseeable future. We’ve started the process of applying for disability but have been told it will take around 5 months to complete. As I said before, he’s stubborn and would never ask for help, but I’m asking you to help us make things a little bit easier for my Uncle Freddie. We are grateful for anything received and will continue to update. Thank you! - Jess

Organized by

Jessica Johnston

West, TX, USA

Organizer