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
Latest update as of Oct 22, 2024
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We haven’t updated in a while because the last few months have been a whirlwind and to be honest, we never seem to have clear answers. Since July, he has had 6 hospital stays resulting in over 50 days spent admitted. As I’m working on this he’s being admitted again through the ER at All Saints. Stacie has been by his side the whole time. He is blessed to have her as his better half. Now for a true update.
- Liver failure was the initial diagnosis, but it has now rapidly led to kidney failure. His doctor has been waiting all month for the allotted time frame to give him the official diagnosis of end-stage renal failure – and finally got it done today. This will move things along quicker on the Medicare issue. We are very thankful that his doctor is working with us to ensure he has access to the care he needs. Unfortunately, she can only control so much. He needs dialysis 3X per week, but at $3,100 a visit that isn’t feasible. Currently, we get his labs done once a week, I send them directly to the doctor, she determines if he qualifies for emergency dialysis and we move to having him admitted when he does. It has been exhausting for him.
- He was denied Medicaid, currently still working on Medicare, and the disability case still has not been assigned. We initiated it on 4/27/24, and currently, when I check the status, it says it is averaging 408 days for cases to get from start to finish.
Times are hard for everyone, and he didn’t want us posting because he knows people are just trying to survive themselves, but I am sharing the link again in hopes that someone might be able to help! You can also reach out to me if you want to help in any other way with donations, groceries, bills, etc.
About this fundraiser
Organized by
Jessica Johnston
West, TX, USA
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Taira Davis | $100
1w agoPraying for you friend. I'm so sorry you are going through all this struggle to get care much less the medical issues.
Sergio Limon | $100
8mos agoGet better brother
Cathy May | $50
8mos agoHope you get better soon
Marilyn Franse | $25
8mos agoThoughts and prayers for you and your family.
Ronnie Glenn | $150
9mos agoWe love you Freddie and our continued prayers are with you and your family!
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