Help John Isaac & Family Through a Spinal Surgery

Hi,

My name is John Isaac Gutierrez. For four years, I’ve been experiencing painful symptoms from a herniated L5-S1 spinal disc. Up until 3 months ago, I was mostly able to get by — could still do my work as an orchardist and then go home and be a loving and present Dad to my and my wonderful partner Ali’s 3 year old son, Mateo. But now, as my physical ability falters, I find myself in need of reaching out and relying on community for help as I head towards and recover from a major surgery.

Over the last few years, I’ve had to adjust my life a lot. Gradually reducing my workload, being so so careful with my spine while climbing fruit trees, digging holes, or just picking up Mateo. Lots of physical therapy. Spinal steroid injections. Non-western medicine. All the things you do to stave off the frightening surgery looking at you from a distance. Still with frustrating physical limitations and often disorienting pain.

Having planted one too many trees it seems, my spinal condition is now extremely disabling and unmanageably painful. After much work navigating medical options and phone trees (the worst kind of trees), I’ve been able to schedule a spinal surgery for September 22nd with a neurosurgeon I trust here in Santa Fe at Christus St. Vincent Hospital.

I’m incredibly grateful my insurance will cover the surgery, and very hopeful that I’ll find myself able again on the other side. However, I need help to cover life expenses for my family, and am seeking the support of my broader community in this difficult period.

By the time I recover from the surgery enough to safely work again in late December or January, I will have been out of work for nearly seven months. At this point, three months in, I’ve depleted nearly all my income from my busy late-winter and spring orchardwork. Now, the burden of our family’s expenses has largely fallen on Ali, whose income isn’t capable of sustaining it.

Any donated funds will all go to help with our family’s living expenses — housing, childcare, food, bills and utilities — while I await and recover from my surgery.

Thank you so much for reading this and for your healing thoughts as I move towards this important and slightly frightening endeavor.

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