HELP YAMMY BEAR

Rochester Community activist Yammy Bear is known for giving back and making people smile through his compassion ministry, Yammy Bear and Family. You may not know that the man behind the suit, Charles Jackson, is battling a shocking and rare diagnosis of AL Amyloidosis and is currently getting treatment at Mayo Clinic. Charles is on his 4th round of chemo and preparing for an upcoming bone marrow transplant of stem cells.

This season of Yammy Bear's journey has been quite difficult for him. The disease damages the heart, kidneys, liver, and nerves. Chemotherapy and its side effects have drastically affected his ability to keep up with his daily life, making engaging with the community more difficult. Charles just received this diagnosis in June of 2022.

Yammy Bear needs the communities help. We are fundraising to help support Yammy Bear, his family, and the ministry's growth.

At this time, working enough hours has been difficult because we are attending so many appts. Add life-changing side effects of chemotherapy and treatments into the mix and whatever savings we had built up seems to have been consumed.

We have six children at home, ages 3-13. and they have been impacted, too. We are commuting 25 miles each way to appts three days a week. We are working hard to stay ahead of the expenses and our essential cost of living! We have downsized our home and cut our living expenses down to the minimum. We've applied for grants and programs that support families going through medical crises, but due to the rarity of AL Amyloidosis, it seems we are just slipping through the cracks.

Yammy Bear and Family have been working with a manufacturer to bring our first order of Yammy Bear plushies into the arms of those who need encouragement and comfort!!

He is especially ready to gift them to patients currently undergoing medical treatment for well-known diseases, like cancer and leukemia, rare diseases like his, and those awaiting or receiving transplants. Our prototypes came in the mail around the same time CJ's diagnosis came in! We are actively looking for sponsors and funding to make Yammy Bear's dream come true!

We make every donation count.

If you want to learn more about Yammy Bear and Family, check out these news articles.