Please Help Jon Wean

Hello everyone! I wanted to reach out and let you know that I’m fundraising for my friend, Jon Wean.

In the late Spring and Summer, Jon had to have 3 back surgeries in less than 3 months. The first two didn’t go well, to say the least. There were clear acts of negligence, below-standard care, and poor execution in both the first and second surgeries causing my friend to have to spend seventeen days in the hospital. A medical malpractice suit would seem fitting, but due to the financial cap in the state of California for such cases, firms will only take on “slam dunks,” essentially meaning the surgeons would have had to perform surgery in the wrong place on Jon’s body for him to have a viable malpractice suit. This was verified by both medical and legal experts when Jon looked into a potential suit.

Over the last year, Jon has had to spend most of his time lying in bed not being able to do regular things, at least not without a lot of pain or help. Things most of us might take for granted like putting on our shoes, playing games on the floor with our kids, or going for a walk, have been too painstaking for my friend. Having suffered a serious back injury in the past myself, I can tell you that the physical and mental toll is excruciating and exhausting.

Jon is a tough guy. I remember the first time we sparred together many years ago. Before we started he said to me, “Don’t worry if my nose starts bleeding, my nose bleeds really easily.” Not long into the session, I hit him lightly and his nose did start to bleed. Jon only stopped for about thirty seconds so he could wipe his bloodied lip and chin, stuff his nostril with toilet paper, and then we were right back at it.

Despite his love of competition, over many years I saw Jon passing on a lot of physical activities, like basketball games our co-workers and I would ask him to join in. I came to learn that his 15 years of playing highly competitive soccer combined with an anatomical leg-length discrepancy, led to him having his first back surgery in 2001. This unfortunately ended his college soccer career, and his resulting infrequent involvement in strenuous forms of exercising – anything that would put impact his lower back - was further limited by another back surgery in 2004. As of now, Jon has had 5 back surgeries in his life; and yes, boxing is strenuous, but when doing it lightly as Jon and I did, whether hitting bags or sparring, it did not involve a lot of impact or strain on the lower back.

Regardless, I know the massive amount of physical pain, which Jon has been in now for too long, has caused him so much heartbreaking frustration that his ability to remain hopeful has been quelled to the point where he often doesn’t want to engage with others because he feels his saddened presence will only bring people around him down.

If you know Jon, you know he’s always loved to laugh and joke, and tried to create joy in the world around him. I know his capacity to do that has waned as a result of his ordeal. When I talked with him about this he said:

“As bad as the pain has been, and how angry and sad I am that I can’t do so many things that I want to do, what’s crushed me is that I’m really scared of the prospect of not being able to help provide for my wife and daughter. I haven’t been able to work (Jon has been on disability since May) and I’ve incurred so much debt with these medical bills. That concern weighs on me way too much and way too often.”

Even though Jon is trying to minimize and consolidate as much of his debt as possible through various means, the medical conglomerate Dignity Health, who the first two surgeons “work under,” is being absorbed by another entity and so Dignity Health is aggressively pursuing all debts owed to them. This has resulted in an inability for Jon to set up a reasonable repayment plan for his first two surgeries.

To make matters worse, Jon’s and his family’s Out of Pocket Maximum for their insurance plan’s calendar year reset between surgeries 1 and 2, and that’s not including only partially or uncovered treatments/care Jon has had to pay for (Extended Hospital Stays, MRIs, CT Scans, X-rays, Bloodwork, Epidural Steroid Injections, Cortisone Shots, Chiropractic Care, Acupuncture, Anesthesia, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, et cetera).

It was obvious when Jon reluctantly disclosed his financial woes to me that he and his family need help. And despite his pride, he finally admitted that he has been so humbled by what he’s been through, that he would be willing to ask for support. This concession was also made easier when I reminded him that if he knew that someone else was in his position physically and financially, that he would be more than happy to help them.

I can personally testify to this: Jon has helped me in significant ways, and more than once during our friendship. Not to mention that he has been a Substance Counselor for over ten years, making it his career to help others improve their lives against incredible odds. All while making way less money than he deserves (we all know too many people working in seemingly thankless careers, yet they continue their work because they’re altruistic).

As previously stated, Jon has not been keen on the idea of accepting financial assistance. He’s even stated that he feels embarrassed asking for financial help, something I know is in large part attributable to his aforementioned pride. Yet I believe he knows in his heart-of-hearts it would be wisest for him to get over that and let people help him.

That being said, Jon insisted I include the following statement:

“Words can’t express how thankful I am to anyone who donates to my family and I, to help us keep our heads above water while paying off these medical bills. I am truly indebted to you, not just financially, but in the spirit of human kindness, connection, and generosity. If there is anything I can do for any of you in any capacity, especially if the financial tides turn in my favor down the road and you’re in need of money, I promise I will be there for you. Thank you so much for helping me and my family.”

Jon also asked me to include that he was very careful to make sure his surgeon for his 3rd and hopefully last surgery had the qualities which the first two surgeons proved to be serious lacking – kindness and communication skills. Fortunately, he found everything anyone needing surgery would want in their surgeon - a sterling reputation that not only included a long history of excellent surgical results, but of compassion for his patients. Jon is very grateful to have discovered Dr. James Mok at Stanford Medicine’s Spine Center. The team there provided amazing care before, during, and after Jon’s 3rd surgery, allowing him to leave the hospital much stronger, happier, and hopeful than he has been for a long time.

Please share this with others who you think would consider supporting Jon.

“To be alive at all is to have scars.” - John Steinbeck, The Winter of our Discontent

*Please note: your donations are not tax deductible as they are considered a personal gift, so please take that into consideration before deciding to donate.