Help TL Jentgens after his surgery.

       
IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ ALL THIS, I MADE A VIDEO!



        So, while golfing on June 7th, 2021 I injured my left hand/wrist. Not doing anything crazy, but just hitting balls casually on the driving range mat. I had just finished stretching and was going to hit a few small shots to get my body loose. Within only a few minutes, on my 8th or 9th ball, I hit a ball and at contact it felt like someone shot me in the wrist with a gun. It was extremely painful at the time, but I didn't really know what to do. I thought maybe I could just throw some ice on it and it would be better in a few days.

A few days later, I had to play a few shows. Even though my hand was still really hurting, I couldn't let any of my supporters and fans down, so I just played them anyways. Those gigs lead to a few more gigs and before you know it, every gig was ending in extreme pain.

I was lucky to know someone who knows a great orthopedic surgeon, so I made an appointment to go get checked out. After two consultations, an x-ray, and an MRI, it turns out I had broken one of my carpal bones in my left wrist, called the Hook of the Hamate. It's a common injury among baseball players and golfers, but it's tough to mend. The bone is so small that it gets very little blood flow, which means it takes a really long time for it to heal and/or doesn't even guarantee it will heal. My surgeon suggested he could put me in a cast, but it wouldn't guarantee it would heal and I would be in a cast for 8, 12, or even up to 16 weeks. Giving me no use of my left hand whatsoever to be able to play drums. This wasn't a feasible option for me as I would have to cancel 8-16 weeks of shows which would leave me practically bankrupt. At the time, he suggested I keep it in a splint as often as I can and try not to use it and hope it would heal up on its own, to avoid surgery. Why go through surgery if it could possibly heal on its own? It seemed logical at the time, so I gave it a try. The problem was that I still had multiple gigs every single week. I did my best to keep my hand in a splint and rested every day I didn't have a show. When I got to my shows, I'd keep it in a splint until the last possible minute when I walked on stage and just play as if everything was fine. I did my best to still put on the best show I could and not let on to what was happening underneath.

I did this for 13 weeks straight and as you probably guessed, things never got better. In fact they got much worse. So after three months of struggling, I decided to check back in with my surgeon and see what my next option was. At that point, he recommended we completely excise/remove that bone. Apparently, the bone is so small that not only is it hard to heal, but you can remove it completely and still function. At this point, I was in so much pain daily that I was all for it. So we started the process of scheduling the surgery, but that's when I found out that my surgeon didn't take my insurance.

Now if anyone knows insurance, you know the hassle it can be. Especially finding the right doctor who cares for you in the way you need. I then began scrambling trying to figure out how to make the surgery possible as soon as possible as every day was getting worse than the last. After about a week and a half of constant back-and-forth with phone calls to the insurance company, the surgery center, and my surgeon, I found out how much the surgery was going to cost me. Not only this cost, but I wouldn't be able to play any shows for 4 to 5 weeks. I'm not a rich man, and over an entire month of salary gone is tough. My crew and I barely made it through Covid when we didn't play a show for almost 8 months. During that time, I completely depleted all my savings and backup funds. I even had to seek help from the SBA to stay afloat. That's where the team comes into the story.

When I go down, my entire team goes down. I have a team of almost 10 people that help keep the show going. My road crew, engineers, managers, agents, graphic designers, merch, techs, and so much more. All these people are out of a job when I get hurt. I have to help keep them going and most of this fund is going to helping them. So, it's not just me you're helping, but so many others who help make my show possible behind the scenes.

In conclusion, the goal I set it no where near how much we have lost. Between the cost of the surgery and the amount we would have made for every gig that was on the books, we are quite far in the hole. I feel weird asking for more, so I'll leave it at that. When I asked on social media how people would feel if I started a GoFundMe, the reaction was a roaring and almost unanimous YES. The messages and comments of support and positivity were simply amazing. So many people reminded me of how much people still really care and want to help. It brings tears to my eyes. So, if you want to, now is your chance.

Thank you so much,

TL Jentgens

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