Help Support Jonathan Baer and His Young Family

On June 15, 2018, just 2 months before the due date of his first child, baby boy Sebastian, and at only 42 years of age, my friend Jonathan Baer was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer.

The cancer has been very aggressive, resisting treatment, and metastasizing. This fund will help him and his family navigate the many upcoming changes to their lives at this difficult time. This includes: medical expenses, renting a larger space to best accommodate a 10 month-old who needs to be noisy and someone with cancer who needs to rest as much as possible (the 400 sq. ft. apartment doesn’t provide adequate space), a possible final trip to the UK to see Claire's family, burial/funeral costs and future financial support for Claire and Sebastian, a possible celebration of life event rather than a funeral, etc.

As his friend I am reaching out to all of you for help. Jonathan has been a dear friend to me for many years. He has also been a frequent coach, adviser and supporter. He is a kind and generous person who has helped so many people in different ways, and over the years you could always depend on him. Whether you are a friend or one of many people he has coached and taught, now is the time that you can do something wonderful for him. He needs the financial help and I sure believe he deserves it.

Here are some of the things Jonathan and his family have been going through – it breaks my heart to see the difficulties they have had to endure.

Between rounds two and three of chemotherapy their son Sebastian was born. Luckily, Jonathan wasn’t feeling too nauseous, so he was able to support Claire during the birth. Unfortunately, not much else went well with the birth. During her pregnancy, Claire did lots of research and devoutly followed the birthing plan of the natural birth center where she wanted to deliver. In the last week of her pregnancy, she developed pre-eclampsia, had to be rushed to the hospital and be induced. This unforeseen cost increased the cost of the birth from $5000 to $13,250 at a time when additional medical costs weren’t really needed.

After finishing chemotherapy, when Sebastian was three months old, the three of them traveled from their home in Phoenix to Los Angeles, where Jonathan underwent surgery with the goal of having his stomach and any remaining tumors removed. Sadly, when the surgeon opened him up, she found that the tumors had not shrunk as much as they had hoped, and it was impossible to take them out surgically. She had to close him back up and send him home. His medical team then prescribed more chemotherapy and radiation therapy, with the hope that those therapies would shrink the tumors with the possibility of another surgery down the road.

In April, nine of us traveled to Phoenix to spend a week with Jonathan, Claire and Sebastian so we could support them in person. We sat around and talked, took Claire and the baby on a hike and played with Sebastian. It was obvious that Jonathan was in a lot of pain. He had been on a feeding tube for many months already and was not eating any regular food. He had a tough time sleeping and was always exhausted. Jonathan had planned to go in for a second surgery to check for tumors and have his stomach removed. In the meantime, after many tests, scans and doctor visits, it turned out that despite the additional radiation and chemotherapy, the cancer had metastasized to the lung, which means the cancer has progressed to stage 4 and surgery is no longer indicated. There is no standard of care for stage 4. They don’t know what to do at that point. He has a 4% chance to live 5 years. Each year only 31% of gastric cancer patients make it to the next year.

With the time he has left, Jonathan’s main focus is preparing Claire and Sebastian for a life without him and maybe visiting some friends and family. With the unfortunate timing of Jonathan’s cancer and the birth of their son, Jonathan's plan to get life insurance when he had his first child became impossible - because he got sick first, there isn’t any life insurance for Claire and Sebastian to fall back on. My hope is that we can come together and help provide this wonderful family with the kind of financial security they deserve. I am reaching out to those of you who know and care about Jonathan and his young family, and those who support his loving and strong presence in our community. Every contribution makes a difference! All funds will be used to directly benefit Jonathan and his family. Prayers and loving thoughts are also greatly appreciated!

Knowing now what kind of funds will be available will help Jonathan and his family plan what can be done while he is still with them versus how much needs to be saved for Claire and Sebastian’s future.

I am personally praying for Jonathan every day and sending loving thoughts. I know God holds him in the palm of his hand.

Please help make this time easier for Jonathan and his family, and consider sharing this fundraiser with your friends and family!

Inge Jechart


As GoFundMe rules state, I, Inge Jechart, am writing this for Jonathan, and all the funds collected are being deposited directly into Jonathan and Claire’s account. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.