Bacteriophage Therapy to Cure Jake's UTIs

Hi, my name is Avery and I am trying to raise funds for Bacteriophage therapy for my husband. This new breakthrough therapy has the potential to cure my husband from chronic urinary tract infections.

 

Phage Therapy Saves Lives:

Expenses we need help with:

• Plane Tickets: $1700-$2000 
• Passports: $330
• Phage Therapy Treatment: $4000-$6000 
• $150 for a Urine sample + $100 if any additional sample is required 
• Lodging $400-$700 (for a week's stay)

 

Here is Jake's UTI story.

Please view the links at the bottom of this article for more information 

 

A brief summary on Jake's medical history and why this therapy is our last hope.

Jake was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis nine years ago. He eventually had to have his colon removed; however, he still had severe pain daily. He was then diagnosed with severe perianal Crohn's disease. Jake has had to undergo an extensive functional medicine program because his body responded poorly to Crohn's medications. Finally, by being on a heavily restricted diet, supplementing, and remaining on top of his health situation, Jake finally got to a higher quality of life for a short time.

 

About three years ago, Jake was hit with a surprising amount of pain with characteristics similar to UTI. Nothing seemed to have provoked an infection since his inflammation was down, so we were all confused about why he was suddenly getting this pain. Because he's a young male, the thought of UTI was not present in any of our minds.

 

When Jake went to his first Urologist, he told him that it was highly unlikely Jake had a UTI and that the pain could be Interstitial Cystitis instead. Believing the doctor, Jake went days without antibiotic treatment, making the infection even worse. Once he started showing other physical markers of UTI, he went back in. The doctor proceeded to say Jake had a psychological disorder that was making him think he had a UTI. He even suggested seeing a psychiatrist because the urine samples showed negative on a basic UTI test. Finally, the infection got so out of control, it did show on a test. He was put on antibiotics, but a bacterial biofilm had taken over his bladder by this time.

 

After his initial UTI, he proceeded to get chronic infections. While he lived in Atlanta, he saw half a dozen Urologists who tried to treat his symptoms; some Urologists accused him of faking or blamed the IC diagnosis as the source of pain. The basic UTI tests returned negative, although he had the same severe symptoms. We later learned that these tests have only a small percentage of accuracy. The more advanced tests that we ordered showed elusive bacteria to the standard tests.

 

 

After a year of research, Jake came across one of the most helpful resources we've had to date. LiveUTIFree.com has provided us with the top specialists on Chronic UTIs. Jake got in contact with one doctor who was listed on the site. His new doctor, based out of Washington D.C. agreed to try and treat Jake's chronic UTIs. For a year, they tried oral antibiotics, but the infection was too resistant. Jake also can't be on oral antibiotics because of how they flare his Crohn's disease. Being on oral antibiotics has pushed back any progress he made on restoring his gut flora from the functional medicine, but he has had no choice but to take them in order to keep the infections down. He is now at the point where the infection will return after only a few days of ending the antibiotic course. Slowly, Jake has become resistant to each antibiotic used to treat UTIs. His doctor suggested he move to liquid antibiotics that will have to be instilled in the bladder via catheterization.

 

We flew to Washington D.C. to meet with his specialist and have a Suprapubic catheter placed through his abdomen so he could administer these new antibiotics. For months now, this new treatment has seemed like a miracle. He's been trying to recover his gut from years of oral antibiotics while using this new form of treatment to treat his urinary condition, but having a Suprapubic catheter can make a person more prone to UTIs. Eventually, the liquid antibiotics started to fail. Jake has been in and out of the hospital for both severe UTIs and Crohn's disease these last few months.

The bacteria is now spreading to his kidneys. These last two infections have turned into kidney infections, and there is only a matter of time before it develops into sepsis.

 

A couple of years ago, Jake came across a new therapy treatment that has been approved overseas but is still in the clinical stages in the USA. The therapy, Bacteriophage Therapy, has had an 80% success rate at completely curing chronic UTIs. Even individuals who experience a UTI after the therapy have been able to quickly kill any new bacteria with the basic treatments used for common UTI.

 

As it stands now, Jake gets a UTI every month... sometimes multiple times a month. His case has been so complicated that multiple doctors have fired him as a patient because there have been no other solutions.

He has been disabled from infection for 3 years, unable to work and for the most part, even go outside. He has had to go through opiate withdrawal over again because of hospital stays. The infections have caused major depression in him. His quality of life is so low and full of pain that he has been suicidal and delirious. I am so desperate to get him this therapy if it means he can have his life back, avoid hospitalization and opiates, and start working again.

 

Overseas, we can purchase the treatment, but we have to apply and wait to be accepted into clinical trials in America. We have applied for clinical trials here, but the wait time will exceed the amount of time we have left to save him from irreversible damage/and or death.

As I write this, he is in the hospital and being treated with IV antibiotics. These IV antibiotics will cause significant damage to his intestines and cause high and painful inflammation.

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Here is a breakdown of costs as well as the website and LiveUTIFree resources

How Much Does the Therapy Cost

What are Chronic UTIs

Phage Therapy for Recurrent UTI

A Cure Exists For Antibiotic-Resistant Infections

Live UTI Free YouTube

 

Plane Tickets:

$1700-$2000

Phage Therapy Treatment

$4000-$6000

Lodging

$400-$700 (for a week's stay)

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Our biggest hope is to travel to the Phage Therapy Center overseas and receive the treatment.

 

Now that the liquid antibiotics have failed, Jake may only have months left before his body quits responding to IV antibiotics; he's already resistant to a few IV antibiotics.

Even if we get half of our goal, we'll be on track to getting this life-saving treatment.

If, for some reason, we are prevented from traveling to the Phage Therapy Center, we can still use the donations to travel to specialists in the United States who may be able to accept Jake into a Phage therapy clinical trial. However, this process will take significantly more time and may be too late. 

 

Over the years, we've had so many blessings, but we are asking for one more miracle.

Jake wants to be a father, start his business back up, and prove that his life is worth saving. Despite the horrors he's undergone over the years, he's been an amazing husband to me. All I want is to save him.

 

Any donations will help us tremendously. He only needs a chance at life. Please consider reading the articles I've linked as they will give a better explanation of what this therapy is and why it may be our only hope.

 

I'd like to thank everyone who has helped us in the past and is helping us now. Without support, he has very little chance.

I know that this therapy will be life-changing, and we are willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

 

Thank you!

 

Jake and Avery O'Callaghan