Help Save the Mathes Family

My family needs your help. Bear with me as asking for help is not one of my strong suits but we are desperate. For those of you who know my husband it’s no secret that he is probably one of the most decent people you know. He has singlehandedly carried and provided for our family for our near 15 years of marriage. He has been an exceptional father, husband and partner since the day we said, “I do.” As a wife it has been painful as I have stood by and watched my husband go from a strong, healthy provider to a mere shadow of his former self. My husband Joey has been suffering from back pain for years and has been given the run around by his primary care physician who filled him with opioids and shuffled him from pain management instead of specialists. After an MRI in 2017 he was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, bulging and herniated discs, spinal stenosis and neuropathy. He has worked as a pool man for over a year but after several falls due to the severe pain and neuropathy he was forced to quit working back in July. Even after begging his pain management doctor for another MRI we were informed that it was not possible due to the fact that his insurance only covers one MRI every 5 years. Over the past 6 months I have watched him rapidly decline losing nearly 90 lbs and nearly all of his muscle mass in his legs due to the lack of blood flow to his lower extremities. His legs simply can’t support his mere 175 lb body any longer. After finding him collapsed on our bedroom floor one evening I did the only thing I could think and managed to get him in the car and to the hospital ER where he was treated like a drug addict. After I plead in tears the Dr. FINALLY ordered a CT scan and when the Dr. came back in after his report came back he they found that his condition has gotten much worse than we could have ever expected. Joey was immediately referred to a neurosurgeon who ordered a new MRI with and without contrast. This morning we learned that over the past 3 years Joey’s condition has progressively become severe and back surgery is needed STAT. The bulging  disc that WAS 3mm in now 14mm out of place. We also learned of a separate issue that is compressing the discs in his neck causing blackouts and vomiting when he turns his head. We learned that this is now life threatening and a second MRI is needed to rule out the need of a much more serious concern. His surgeon made it abundantly clear that if this surgery was not performed now he will permanently lose the use of his legs and will be wheelchair bound. So with that being said, Joey will be undergoing a laminectomy sometime next week provided he doesn’t need neck surgery first. His recovery will long and painful. We were hoping he would have already been in recovery but due to insurance referral approvals this process has dragged out longer then we expected. We are already 2 months behind on all of our bills and without my husband’s ability to work we are in danger of losing everything we have worked our whole lives for. Our savings is already completely gone and my credit cards are maxed. I have lupus and am permanently disabled myself so this complicates things much more for our family. Aside from a mortgage, keeping us fed and just day to day living expenses I am going to need to hire someone to help me manage our home while my husband undergoes intensive physical therapy. This is a humbling experience to say the least but I am reaching out as a scared wife and mother with much to loose. No words can express the appreciation and heartfelt gratitude our family would experience should you find it in your heart to help us in any way. If nothing more please share this and hold us in your prayers.