Jeremy has Familial Adenomatous Polyposis ("FAP"), a rare hereditary disease related to colon cancer. It took his mother's life at age 35, and he's passed it on to three of our children - two have already had surgery. Jeremy's own surgery, done at 16 after a ruptured tumor, was botched - though no one told him that for 30 years. He simply learned to live with constant pain, believing it was normal. (The 2nd picture is Jeremy at age 16, in recovery after that surgery.)

On June 23rd, he had the first of three major surgeries at North Shore University Hospital in New York to finally correct what went wrong decades ago. This first hospital stay lasted two weeks longer than anticipated. We're asking for help covering the medical costs, travel, and lost income during his 12-month process of surgeries and recovery.

Last year, when we began making plans with the surgeons, our health insurance covered 100% of the costs after we met our deductible. However, June 2025 we discovered that our daughter needed surgery (thyroidectomy due to cancerous tumors) which was priority over Jeremy's. Her surgery was completed August 2025 at Northside Hospital in Atlanta & she has recovered without any issues. #blessed

This year, that same health plan was no longer offered through the employer benefits, and we will now be responsible for 20% of the medical expenses after meeting the deductible.

That added expense, on top of the costs for flights, hotel stays, and transportation while away from home, has felt a bit overwhelming — especially since our regular daily and monthly household expenses for our home and children will still have to be maintained. Jermey will be out of work majority of the next 12 months recovering, & his disability benefits will be limited. Because of this, deciding to move forward with this 3-phase surgery has been an incredibly difficult decision for Jermey to make.

We would be so grateful for any prayers, shares of this fundraiser, and/or support. ❤️ Jeremy shares his full medical story & upcoming surgery details below:

My wife put this fundraiser together for us after many long conversations about my concerns surrounding these upcoming surgeries.

On June 23rd, I had the first of a three-phase major surgery series to correct serious complications from a previous procedure. These surgeries are necessary to improve my health and future well-being, but they will require extensive recovery time and time away from work. All three surgeries will be performed in New York.

I have a lot of life ahead of me. One day I'll have grandkids, and I want to be present for those moments. I want to enjoy the years ahead with my family and friends instead of simply surviving them.

I have F.A.P. (Familial Adenomatous Polyposis), a rare genetic condition that, if left untreated, results in colon cancer. This disease has impacted my family for generations. It took the life of my biological mom when she was only 35 years old after the disease turned into the silent killer—colon cancer. She passed away just two weeks after my first birthday.

My oldest brother had his colon removed at age 18. I had mine removed at 16 after a large tumor ruptured. This condition has also affected three of our children. Two of our boys have already had their colon removed at ages 17 and 18. Our youngest son is now 16 and will face the same surgery in the coming years. Thankfully, because of advances in modern medicine and procedures, our boys have not experienced the complications that I have.

For those who don’t know much about my medical history, I could probably write a book about it. But I want to share a little of my journey with F.A.P. so people understand why these surgeries matter so much to me.

I’ve always seemed to be the one who has complications when it comes to surgery. Things just never seem to go as planned for me. The memories of what I went through as a teenager still haunt me to this day, and I pray I never have to experience anything like that again. What scares me most is the uncertainty because of everything I’ve already lived through.

When I was 16, I thought I was bulletproof. I didn’t think anything could really hurt me. Nothing could have prepared me for how bad things were about to get.

The moment everything became real was when my surgeon walked into my hospital room around 1 a.m. after returning from a medical conference in England.

He looked at me and my parents and said, “We’re operating first thing in the morning. It’s a miracle you’re still alive.”

That was the day everything changed.

Mentally, emotionally, and physically, I was never the same after that. I lost half my body weight and received nutrition through an IV and eventually through a catheter after the veins in my arms were burned out. I became someone I didn’t even recognize in the mirror.

I constantly asked myself, “Why me?”

Over time, I did improve, but I have lived with chronic abdominal pain ever since, along with constant nausea and a body that seems to get sick like clockwork.

For years, I believed this was simply the way life would always be for me.

Then, in the spring of 2024, we met with a surgeon at Northside in Atlanta for my son’s surgical consultation. She later performed his surgery in the fall of 2024. She has been phenomenal and now oversees the care for me and all three of my boys who carry this disease.

During my son’s post-surgery follow-up, she asked me how I was doing. As I described what daily life was like for me, she stopped and said, “That’s not normal.”

It was the first time any doctor had ever told me that.

Not long after that, she performed a minor procedure and discovered that my original surgery as a teenager had been botched.

The pain and sickness I had lived with for decades weren’t normal. I just didn’t know any different because I had always been told this was simply how life would be.

We eventually learned that my decades of suffering traced back to a hole in my J-pouch from that original surgery. The attempts when I was 16 to repair it created excessive scar tissue that eventually obstructed the pouch.

I’ve had more scopes than I can count and seen five different gastro doctors over the years, yet no one had ever explained this to me before.

What is even harder to understand is why the hospital and surgeon who performed the original surgery never informed me or my family about these complications. We were given different explanations for why things had gone wrong.

When my new doctor requested my records, she discovered that a large amount of information was missing, especially concerning my complications and follow-up surgeries.

Searching for answers, I later consulted with a surgeon at the hospital where my original surgery had been performed.

To my disbelief, they no longer had any of the surgeon’s notes from the follow-up surgeries done when I was a teenager to address those complications.

The surgeon and his assistant seemed just as baffled as I was about the missing records, but there were still no answers.

In October 2025, another incredible opportunity opened up for me. Our surgeon in Atlanta trained under a world-renowned surgeon in New York who specializes in the exact corrective surgery I need.

After traveling to New York and going through two days of tests and procedures, he proposed a smaller surgery that might possibly help improve things. He requested that our surgeon in Atlanta perform it, and she later did that procedure to remove some of the scar tissue.

The chances of it helping were small, but it was worth trying. In some ways it did help, but in other ways it made things worse.

That left me with a difficult decision: continue living the way I had been for decades or take a chance on trying to fix it through a series of major surgeries.

Because of the risks involved, the surgeon in New York would not tell me what I should do. He only explained the risks and what they believed the chances of success would be.

The decision was entirely mine.

Am I willing to take that risk for the possibility of a better life?

After many long conversations with my wife, Nat, we decided to move forward.

The odds are in my favor, but none of this will be easy. We truly believe God placed the right surgeons in our path and has given me the best opportunity possible to finally live without the constant pain and sickness I’ve carried for most of my life.

Our family’s life has been shaped by surgeries, recovery, and constant medical uncertainty. At the same time, life continues moving forward around us.

We have six children, and four still live at home with us. Two graduated high school this May, one is preparing for a mission trip, and our youngest will begin his junior year this fall.

In the middle of these important milestones, we are also navigating my medical crisis.

We are now facing repeated travel to New York for three separate surgeries, mounting medical bills, loss of income during recovery, and the challenge of keeping up with everyday living expenses while I’m unable to work.

Funds raised will go directly toward travel expenses for surgeries, medical bills, post-surgery care supplies, essential living expenses during recovery, and legal costs as we seek accountability for the original procedure that caused these complications.

I still have a lot of life ahead of me.

One day I’ll have grandkids, and I want to be present for those moments. I want to enjoy the years ahead with my family and friends instead of simply surviving them.

I don’t want to continue living every day feeling sick and in pain, and I never want to become a burden on my family.

If you are able to give, share, or help spread the word, it would mean more than we can express. Every donation helps relieve some of the burden on our family and allows us to focus on healing and recovery.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for any support you can offer. Every prayer on our behalf truly means more than words can say.