The Wehrle Family Crisis Fund
Donation protected
Jacob Wehrle is my brother-in-law, and he and his family are in crisis. Jacob is a husband and a father of three beautiful children and is one of the hardest working people I know. He's faced many challenges throughout his life but has always had the strength and determination to do what needed doing in order to persevere, especially since becoming a father.
At the age of three he was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes, by age five he was already taking his own blood sugar, by age 9 he was giving himself his insulin shots. Jacob learned to be a self-sufficient person at a young age and prides himself on having earned what he has.
Jacob has also been an excellent provider for his family, everything from coaching their sons soccer team to earning a living and everything in between, at times working up to three jobs at once to ensure his family’s well-being. Until now.
18 months ago Jacob started having serious health problems. It began with constant painful hives, later he began to have swelling and pain in his joints and is now under the constant threat of suffocating due to anaphylaxis. In layman’s terms anaphylaxis is when your throat swells shut, normally due to an allergic reaction and you become unable to breath. Just like shellfish and peanut allergies, this is deadly, except it can’t be avoided like a peanut allergy because they don’t know what’s causing it. Jacob’s doctors have described it as being similar to Chronic Idiopathic Utircaria, though they haven't been able to determine the cause or find a treatment that works without debilitating side effects.
Jacob has always taken care of his family and is one of the most financially responsible people I know. He knows where every penny is going before it is spent, bought his first home at the age of 25 and had enough in savings to keep his family going for the last year and a half, and he isn’t even thirty years old.
Jacob has been advised by his physicians that he will need to travel to one of three out of state facilities (The Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, or Duke University Hospital) to see a special diagnostician and undergo further medical tests, but since Jacob cannot work, his insurance is through his state Medicaid, which does not pay for out of state physicians, not to include, room and lodging for the trip, meals while he is there, or other expenses that cannot be foreseen until they arise.
To date Jacob's been prescribed a series of steroidal Prednisone for all 18 months of the condition, which adversely reacts to his diabetes (dangerously so), this treatment is NOT meant to be a long term medication and will cause more harm the longer he is on it, but it's the only thing keeping him alive right now.
These health problems have led to the loss of the family's income. Jacob and his wife Cora have stretched their savings as far as it will go, and are now being forced to make unthinkable decisions like "Do we buy milk or meat?" or "Do we keep the water running or the gas?" They've been slowly consolidating their living costs, giving up one of two vehicles to save the monthly expense. Their remaining vehicle has turned up needing a simple but unaffordable repair, leaving them unable to get to the places they need to go like doctor visits and possible emergencies, not to mention the travel required to further his diagnosis and treatment.
Severe financial crisis is taking all of their immediate focus. This kind of insecurity, how they're going to make it through tomorrow, has become so urgent that trying to figure out how to get Jacob the medical care he desperately needs has had to be put on the back burner.
This constant stress isn't doing his health any good either. Stress, symptoms of the illness, and side effects of his extended steroidal treatment have also robbed him of sleep. It's truly a nightmare, life can be merciless sometimes, and they, more than anyone I’ve ever known, deserve to catch a break.
Please help me show these amazing people that even though life can be this hard, there are good people out there that do care, and if we come together, we can make a real difference in 5 people’s lives. They haven’t felt hope in a long time, and we can give it back to them!
Your donations will be used to get Jacob access to the healthcare he can't live without, and to keep his family safe and fed while he gets the help he needs. You'll be giving them a breath of relief I don't believe they will ever see coming. Thank you for giving them that breath, and thank you for giving Jacob his life back!
At the age of three he was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes, by age five he was already taking his own blood sugar, by age 9 he was giving himself his insulin shots. Jacob learned to be a self-sufficient person at a young age and prides himself on having earned what he has.
Jacob has also been an excellent provider for his family, everything from coaching their sons soccer team to earning a living and everything in between, at times working up to three jobs at once to ensure his family’s well-being. Until now.
18 months ago Jacob started having serious health problems. It began with constant painful hives, later he began to have swelling and pain in his joints and is now under the constant threat of suffocating due to anaphylaxis. In layman’s terms anaphylaxis is when your throat swells shut, normally due to an allergic reaction and you become unable to breath. Just like shellfish and peanut allergies, this is deadly, except it can’t be avoided like a peanut allergy because they don’t know what’s causing it. Jacob’s doctors have described it as being similar to Chronic Idiopathic Utircaria, though they haven't been able to determine the cause or find a treatment that works without debilitating side effects.
Jacob has always taken care of his family and is one of the most financially responsible people I know. He knows where every penny is going before it is spent, bought his first home at the age of 25 and had enough in savings to keep his family going for the last year and a half, and he isn’t even thirty years old.
Jacob has been advised by his physicians that he will need to travel to one of three out of state facilities (The Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, or Duke University Hospital) to see a special diagnostician and undergo further medical tests, but since Jacob cannot work, his insurance is through his state Medicaid, which does not pay for out of state physicians, not to include, room and lodging for the trip, meals while he is there, or other expenses that cannot be foreseen until they arise.
To date Jacob's been prescribed a series of steroidal Prednisone for all 18 months of the condition, which adversely reacts to his diabetes (dangerously so), this treatment is NOT meant to be a long term medication and will cause more harm the longer he is on it, but it's the only thing keeping him alive right now.
These health problems have led to the loss of the family's income. Jacob and his wife Cora have stretched their savings as far as it will go, and are now being forced to make unthinkable decisions like "Do we buy milk or meat?" or "Do we keep the water running or the gas?" They've been slowly consolidating their living costs, giving up one of two vehicles to save the monthly expense. Their remaining vehicle has turned up needing a simple but unaffordable repair, leaving them unable to get to the places they need to go like doctor visits and possible emergencies, not to mention the travel required to further his diagnosis and treatment.
Severe financial crisis is taking all of their immediate focus. This kind of insecurity, how they're going to make it through tomorrow, has become so urgent that trying to figure out how to get Jacob the medical care he desperately needs has had to be put on the back burner.
This constant stress isn't doing his health any good either. Stress, symptoms of the illness, and side effects of his extended steroidal treatment have also robbed him of sleep. It's truly a nightmare, life can be merciless sometimes, and they, more than anyone I’ve ever known, deserve to catch a break.
Please help me show these amazing people that even though life can be this hard, there are good people out there that do care, and if we come together, we can make a real difference in 5 people’s lives. They haven’t felt hope in a long time, and we can give it back to them!
Your donations will be used to get Jacob access to the healthcare he can't live without, and to keep his family safe and fed while he gets the help he needs. You'll be giving them a breath of relief I don't believe they will ever see coming. Thank you for giving them that breath, and thank you for giving Jacob his life back!
Organizer and beneficiary
Vanessa Frankel
Organizer
Belle, WV
Jacob Wehrle
Beneficiary