Jack Palmer is a soccer-loving high school sophomore at Wake Forest High School.  He's the youngest son of Dave and Janine Palmer.  Shortly after being diagnosed with mononucleosis at the end of October, he developed Guillain-Barre syndrome.  Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rare neurological disorder in which your immune system mistakenly attacks part of the peripheral nervous system—the network of nerves located outside of the brain and spinal cord.  Jack was admitted to Wake Med Pediatric ICU but as his condition worsened, he required support on a ventilator and was transferred to the UNC Pediatric ICU for additional care.  Jack has endured multiple treatments in an attempt to stop the progression of GBS and his UNC team expects a full recovery.  However, this will take months of continued care at both UNC and eventually extensive inpatient rehabilitation in Charlotte.   He remains on the ventilator and will have a feeding tube and tracheostomy tube placed to help begin his recovery.  The care he receives at UNC  is considered out of network for the family's insurance.   In addition to their daily expenses of driving to and from Wake Forest to UNC, paying for parking on campus, and the cost of food while away from home, The Palmer family will potentially face astronomical medical bills. Sadly their deductible and out-of-pocket expenses will reset with the new calendar year.  His recovery journey is expected to extend well into 2024.  

UPDATE:  On Friday, December 1st, Jack was transferred to Levine Childrens Rehab Hospital in Charlotte.  Now begins the hardwork.  Jack will have several hours of therapy every day to help him regain his strength and coordination, improve his breathing so he can come off the ventilator, and practice swallowing so he can eat again.  He has such a positive attitude and is ready to work hard so he can return home! It is anticipated he will be in rehab for 4-6 weeks.   

The Palmers are an amazing and incredibly giving family.  Over the years, they have committed countless hours to the WFHS Men's soccer teams.  Janine has been the team manager longer than I can remember as several of her boys have played.  Both she and Dave do so much for the team and are the first to volunteer their time, organize fundraisers, work the concession stand, and manage the time clock just to name a few… their commitment is awe-inspiring.

Now as a community, it's time to show our commitment to this amazing family dealing with such a tragic and unexpected challenge.  They are so deserving of our love, prayers, and support.  During this time it would be wonderful to alleviate some of the financial concerns so they can focus their time and energy on being there for Jack.  

So…..Let's Back Jack!!! Any amount will be helpful and greatly appreciated by the Palmer family.