Jason Cotton

Last summer, Jason began to experience changes in health. At first it was just pain in his arms and hands which he attributed to arthritis due to his occupation as a painter. But then he began to notice that his arms were getting very stiff and he was having trouble bending his fingers. He began to rapidly lose weight and experience constant joint pain.

In September, he went to the doctor and began the process of having a battery of testing.

By November, he was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Scleroderma, a very rare disease that affects less than 200,000 people in the US annually. Scleroderma is a disease in the connective tissues that attacks not only the skin but also the internal organs. There is no cure.

Since November, Jason’s health has deteriorated significantly. He’s been diagnosed with interstitial lung disease and pulmonary hypertension as a result of the scleroderma. His body is attacking itself. His team of doctors has been working with him to find a medication regime that will alleviate some of the constant pain he is in.

On Sunday, 2/18, Jason told Laura that he was feeling worse than normal. He was experiencing heart palpitations and incessant fatigue. Laura rushed him to Doylestown Hospital. The doctors there tried to help, but Jason’s blood pressure was through the roof and he was displaying symptoms of heart failure and irregular kidney function. He was transported to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia on Tuesday night as soon as a bed became available.

A day or two after being admitted his pressure was so high that his retina began to detach. After several days, the doctors were able to get his pressure normalized but were unable to stabilize his kidney function. The scleroderma is now attacking his kidneys. They did a biopsy this past Monday so they could determine what was going on.

By Monday night Jason was in agonizing pain. On Tuesday morning, doctors found that the kidney had begun to bleed at the location of the biopsy and blood was pooling in Jason’s abdomen. They did multiple blood transfusions and then rushed him to the ICU to do an angiogram to see the kidney. As of last night, 2/27, the bleeding in the kidney had stopped, but this morning they found that he was bleeding internally in his stomach. They inserted a gastric tube to remove the fluid and blood from his stomach. He will have that for at least 24 hours and he remains in ICU.

Jason is not the kind of person that will ask for help or complain about anything. At the hospital yesterday, as he was being rushed in for the angiogram and in agonizing pain, he saw me worrying in the hallway and smiled and said, “Hey Nu Nu, thanks for coming”.

Jason’s partner, Laura, is the most positive and uplifting person I’ve ever met. She’s my sun. But she is working 3 jobs to make ends meet and make sure Jason and their 5 combined kids have everything they need. She is struggling financially, emotionally, and mentally. Her spirit is breaking because the love of her life is suffering.

Jason would give the shirt off his back to anyone. He’s been the most wonderful father figure to Laura’s 3 kids and he’s an amazing father to his own 2 kids. He’s the most loyal and supportive friend I’ve ever had next to Laura.

Unfortunately, Jason will never be able to work again and his medical bills are going to add up to an astronomical amount.

These past two weeks, Laura has had to take off work to drive almost an hour both ways to Temple multiple times to be with Jason and she has lost desperately needed pay as a result. When Jason does come home, he has a very long road ahead of him which will ultimately require home renovations to allow him to be comfortable and move around.

Jason and Laura have been there for me through the hardest times of my life. They never acted as if it was a hardship or made me feel bad about it. They just saw I needed them and they were there. I know for a fact that they have done similar things for many of us. Now it’s time for us to show them how much they mean to us and that they’re not alone. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity! Every penny helps!

Noelle and Gracyn Nichols