Jaden’s Fight: Urgent Help for Medical and Family Support

To our friends and family and to those we don’t know yet, Jaden is very sick. He is our son, he is 28 years old, he is a Surgical Technologist in the OR, and a Tattoo Artist. He has been married to his beautiful wife Angel for two years and last year, he became the proud guardian of his wife’s two siblings.

In February of 2023, six weeks before their wedding day, Jaden was at work in the OR when he had a cardiac event. Over the next week, Jaden developed slurred speech, debilitating back pain, chronic weakness, and numbness on his right side. He looked like he was on the road to remission and things were looking better. However, everything changed in November of 2024.

A month before, he was walking with a limp and talking coherently; a month later, he is using a walker and wheelchair, and his speech is slurred once again. His disease progressed so quickly that he spent six days in the cardiac ICU in an attempt to stabilize his condition.

Though it is confirmed he has Central Nervous System Lupus, his doctors believe there could be an underlying neurological condition as well, and he is being sent to UCI for further evaluation with Neurology in the coming weeks.

The good news is that he is finally working with a team of specialists that are taking adequate precaution and care for his long-term health. He is awaiting approval for Rituximab infusions to help manage his condition. These infusions are a very critical part of his recovery and unfortunately are also very expensive as they are considered a form of chemo medication.

If you know Jaden, you know that he is an incredible provider for his family. His current situation leaves him with little options to continue to provide outside of disability insurance. Along with regular monthly expenses, he must now manage the ongoing cost of healthcare and the cost of medical devices and home modifications such as wheelchairs, walkers, arm rails, and ramps.

For those donating, we want to be transparent about what your kind donations will be used for. We appreciate your time and consideration, and we will continue providing updates for you as his diagnostic testing progresses.

Thank you again,

Todd and Kristie Handzlik