Hello Dear Friends,

We have been home from Germany three weeks now. Joseph got an eye exam today, since his doctor told him to wait until the effects of the encephalitis on his vision had calmed down. Also, he has not been able to resume training for his computer job yet, since his employer insisted he should get his eye health checked first. The results of the eye exam shows that he does need new glasses. The exam also showed he has some occipital nerve damage from the encephalitis that is affecting his vision. They want to do an advanced, detailed vision test that will cost $310 or more depending on what they find. That is to establish a base line to check once a year to make sure more damage is not happening as a result of his battle with the infection. He will be blind in a few years if we do not closely monitor this situation. We are also facing the cost of continuing some Lyme/ co-infection treatment from home as well as our usual monthly bills. 

Thank you for your support in various ways, and we pray God will bless you for it!!!

Hello dear Friends, 

We are back home safely from getting Joseph treatment in Germany. We are so thankful that the symptoms from his Lyme/co-infections are gone again!!! He has been resting a few days since getting home because the treatments and travel were tiring. 

Now that he is feeling better, he plans to start working at his computer job as soon as possible. (He could not see well enough when we left for Germany, since the encephalitis was affecting his vision.) His vision seems to have changed and he may need new glasses.

We have our bills paid until the end of the month, but then we will need to pay May’s expenses. We are not certain Joseph will have quite enough time to earn the complete amount needed in the two weeks left to do so, or if his vision will cooperate without needing new glasses. 

We are humbled to again let our need be known, but are also deeply thankful for how God has provided for us in the past through the love and kindness of many of you!!! We pray God will reward you. 

Hello Friends, 

We are so thankful Joseph has been able to get some treatment!!! His doctor is realizing Joseph’s infection and encephalitis were worse than when we first talked by phone, so a few more IV treatments would be best. We originally planned on him needing 10, but we now understand that 15 would be best. We do not want to burden anyone, but are letting our expenses for treatment be known ($21,000). The IV treatments are including a couple of medicines that have not been used for him previously in hopes that it will go deeper and bring more healing.

We want to hit the infection as hard as possible before coming home April 8th., so he can keep working to earn a living for his family. 

Thank you, and may God bless you all!!! 

Hello Friends,

Thank you all for your love, prayers, and support from the bottom of our hearts!!!

We were blessed with strength and safe travels to Germany. Joseph only had one allergic smell reaction in the airport while someone brought hot food next to him. He was able to stumble away fast enough with his cane to get to fresher air in time that his lungs weren’t closing off.

He has gotten 3- IV treatmentss and is starting to feel some better. His knifing headaches with brain burn have been gone for 12 hours now. He is also able to walk a little better, though still needs his cane yet.

His doctor told us he had developed encephalitis from the Bartonella infection with an autoimmune allergic smell response. He also believes he has a varicella virus activation. 

Thanks again for your kind support; we pray God will richly bless you for it!! 

Hello, Friends!

Just wanted to send out a quick update to you all on what is happening with us. We have been very blessed and encouraged by the $4,140 that has been lovingly donated recently!

Joseph’s symptoms have strongly ramped up in the last week. Today has been his worst day yet. He is having a lot of pain in his bones, muscles, and joints along with a strong, continuous headache with burning in his brain. He has become very sensitive to smells, causing his lungs to suddenly close off his ability to breathe until he gets outside into fresh air. 

We hope to travel soon, Lord willing, back to Germany for three weeks for treatment so that he can feel good and work to support his family again. Our concern is that he doesn’t continue to get worse (adding to expenses) or get too sick to travel. 

Current Need: Minimum of $21,860 

Thank you from the depths of our hearts for your kindness, prayers, and support during this challenging time during Joseph’s sickness!!!

   Hello, Dear Friends! We praise God for His faithful care through the years, and for all who have helped us along our way!!! 

   Once again we find ourselves facing a real challenge. Joseph has been having a few symptoms since December when he decided to quit the physical labor of carpentry. Doing computer work from home has definitely been helpful for his health. However, since arriving back home after a quick (and long) road trip to Iowa for our son’s wedding, he has not been bouncing back well. He has been experiencing a downward progression of worsening symptoms. (Brain on fire most days, weakness in arms and legs with burning in bones, night sweats, frequent knifing headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, and strong fatigue.)

   In light of this, we have been staying in contact with the man involved in opening a Lyme/co-infection clinic in Spokane, WA who plans to use Dr. Renz’s protocols. We had hoped to hang on and get him some treatment there, but due to “red tape”, the opening date keeps getting pushed out further. We are concerned that waiting too long would be more expensive for treatment as well as the loss of income from Joseph not being able to work.

   We contacted Joseph’s doctor in Germany with his list of symptoms to see how many treatments he would recommend and the cost for those. We are praying for wisdom going forward, and also appreciate your prayers for the same!!!

    We wanted to send this out in preparation of more treatment costs arising soon. We look to God in faith, because we cannot afford to pay for more. 

   God bless you each one for your loving support in various ways!!! May God reward you richly is our prayer. 

   Once again, THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for all your prayers and support in our behalf!!

     In the last month, Joseph has had an increased number of ice pick type headaches along with a brain on fire sensation and night sweats. The expensive supplement he was trying at home helped initially, but now is becoming less effective as these symptoms grow stronger. He is also noticing more fatigue.  

     We spoke with Dr. Renz in Germany about it this past week, and he determined that it was not the virus as we had supposed in December. After further discussion, he felt strongly that the Bartonella in Joseph’s body and brain is flaring again and that he needs a few IV’s to deal with it before he is bedfast again! He recommends doing this once a year to keep the Bartonella infection in check since they have not yet learned a way to eradicate this particular infection completely. This is the infection that has symptoms worse than a lot of Lyme and causes neurological symptoms. The clinic that Dr. Renz is working with in Spokane, WA is nearing completion; and they should be able to begin scheduling patients around the first of February. However, as of right now, we don’t know what the cost would be to get treatment there. We will update when we get more information.

Tax deductible donations (earmarked “for Joseph Cook”) on a sticky note, can be made to:

L.A.M.B. Services, Inc. 

P.O. Box 1050

Ceres, CA 97307

     Again, thanks to all who have kindly supported us in many ways!! We pray that God will richly repay each of you! 

Dear Friends, 

     We are very thankful for each of your contributions into our lives in various ways throughout the last 10+ years of Joseph’s health journey. 

    We are again facing financial challenges with an immediate need of $6,300. 

    Joseph has been working too hard physically at his last project which involved running a jack hammer and hauling concrete out of a basement. He overdid it, and it knocked him back. He has not been continuing any treatment since he felt pretty good and wanted to put as much money as possible toward bills. His previous treatments have worked well, it’s just been hard to balance not working too hard and working hard enough to pay bills. Too much physical strain on his body will cause his immune system to drop, which wears him down, and then his co-infections with Lyme start taking over again. His doctor warned him about this, however, carpentry work is what God has been providing up to this point. 

    Recently, another job opportunity became available that seems to be an answer to prayer. It would involve computer work from home in the same field of carpentry. He has decided to do that, though it was a hard decision since he enjoys the physical carpentry labor while working with his sons.  

Our current financial challenges have arisen due to several factors coming together at once:

 1. Working too hard has caused a setback physically, so he has not been able to work as much, plus he started taking some treatment at home again to hopefully stop the downward progression. This costs $290 a month.

 2. The new job has a training period, so time will be spent learning with little pay until the end of January. He also needs to buy a used desk for this, but all other equipment will be provided by the company.

 3. We have a son planning to get married in five weeks in Iowa Jan. 18. This will involve travel for us from Idaho. 

We are trusting these needs to God to provide for as He sees fit. He is so faithful!!! We deeply appreciate your love and support in various ways, including prayer! We pray He will bless each one who has kindly helped us along on our journey. 

In Thankfulness, Lora 

Dear Friends, 

      Thank you, each one, for your past support in various ways! It means more than we know how to say!!

      PLEASE PRAY!!! 

     Joseph has just not been doing as good after returning from Germany this time. (To be clear, this second trip, including all his treatments, was almost completely covered by a couple of parties.) He has only been able to work two or three days a week before needing to rest and recoup. He is doing his best to follow his doctor’s orders so that he does not run his health down again from pushing too hard. However, the weight of our present bills as well as the past medical debt, looms large in his mind. He’s continually tempted to push much too hard in order to provide for us.

      Additionally, the place we have been renting for the past five years, changed hands due to one of the owners passing away. We learned today that we have until August 31st. to find a new place to rent. With this new development, we are realizing we will have more expenses than we can handle with moving. 

     In light of this we felt an update would be helpful as we trust God to provide (as He always faithfully has) in whatever way He chooses. We pray God will bless all who have been and are being a part of His provision for us! 

Praise God!! Our immediate need is down to $6,250 already! Thanks so much to all that have given on here and directly to us.  

Because of the love & kindness of a few, our present need is down to $8,475

A huge “Thank you” to those that have prayed and given so far! It means so much to know others are helping to carry our load! 

Joseph, Lora, Nathan and Alena

Thank you for your patience, finally, after a many emails back and forth, we satisfied the donation processor. Donations should work fine now! 

Hello, Friends!  

     The last 15 months have been wonderful, to say the least, WITHOUT the Lyme and co-infection symptoms I had battled for 9 years prior! I am so thankful for this gift from our Heavenly Father!

     I returned to my much loved profession of carpentry and attempted to dig out of our medical debt. Then recently I had a variety of old symptoms pop up and they began progressing rather quickly. Since our oldest son, Benjamin, and his wife and children were already in Germany for his cancer treatment; we made arrangements for me to join them to get two weeks of treatment. We both see the same doctor, so they offered for me to stay with them and ride with them, to help save money. Also, the doctor was willing to give us a substantial break in the cost of treatment this time. 

    My wife and two children at home stayed in the States during this time. The two weeks of treatment did not go as any of us had planned, and I began feeling really rough. My doctor says another two weeks of treatment would be better to get me back to a good spot. My Bartonella co-infection and the mold infections are likely the culprit along with physically working too hard. My doctor is now telling patients with this infection to plan on getting one or two weeks of IV treatment yearly to keep it in check and to really care for our bodies as best we can. Hopefully this can happen next time at the new clinic opening soon in the States. 

    This type of Bartonella goes deep and seems impossible to fully get rid of. So in order to fight to be well enough to work and support my wife and children, I am away for five weeks getting treatment and my income is again on hold. 

    Thank you for your love, prayers, and support! We thank God for all of His provision, and pray He will bless all who are a part of helping us during our battle against Lyme and co-infections. 

At this point, our current immediate need is $11,000 (please forgive my changes, more bills just showed up!)

Joseph

Hello to everyone in this new year that we have been blessed to see! We all have so many blessings to be thankful for!

We had hoped to be able to close this fund by now, but have had an unexpected bump in our plans. Our oldest son, Benjamin, (age 29) was hospitalized about two and a half weeks ago and diagnosed with cancer. He and his wife, Heidi, were in the process of moving. We have been very busy helping them wrap up loose ends and have been caring for their two little girls, aged 3 and 2. Benjamin and Heidi are currently in Germany getting cancer treatment for him with the same doctor that treated Joseph’s Lyme disease. Please pray for Benjamin's little family!

This unexpected occurrence has slowed down the process of finding work for Joseph. He has been putting in job applications in between the extra family needs. He has also been learning he cannot push too hard physically, as he is having a lot of very sore muscles that need strengthened again. Please join us in prayer while he actively searches for work suitable to his physical limitations and also enough to support his family.

There is still a need to help bridge the financial gap until suitable work is found. Thank you so much for your support, love, and patience! May God bless each one of you for your kindness to us!

Hello, everyone! Thank you for all of your support in the past - it means so much!!

We are safely back from Germany, and so grateful for the opportunity to treat with this doctor! We are praising God for the treatment results. For the first time in almost 9 years Joseph has no Lyme symptoms and feels normal, except for muscles needing to be strengthened. He has been able to stop most of his nutritional supplements and some of his medications. He is looking for work that he can manage physically that will earn enough. His doctor has recommended that he start out with work that is not very strenuous physically. 

There is still a need for some income for living expenses to help bridge the gap until Joseph is able find work and receive pay. He is checking into a few different options. Extra funds will be applied toward the $60,000 medical debt from our earlier medical expenses. 

May God bless each of you for your kindnesses and support during Joseph’s long Lyme disease journey! It has been a huge blessing and help to us!

Hello, everyone - we hope each of you are doing well! Grace and peace to all! 

We are very excited to share that we were gifted $40,000 to travel to Germany for Lyme treatment. We can hardly comprehend this enormous blessing!! Joseph just completed his first week of treatment here, and is tolerating it pretty well.

Our expenses are covered until we arrive back in the states December 10. At that time Joseph hopes to feel well enough to start finding work he can do to earn a living. However, we have been strongly advised to not go too fast so that he doesn’t regress! We will post an update when we get back to let you know how he is doing. There may be a small transition time until regular income is coming in. 

Thank you so much, all of you have helped to lift our burden! It truly has made a huge difference in our lives, and it will always be precious to us!! May God bless you!

Hello, and thank you all immensely for helping to support us during this long, difficult illness!!!

We are currently hoping to get Joseph treatment in Germany. More details on this was posted on our last update. We have been keeping in touch with current Lyme patients who have been receiving treatment from this German doctor. One patient contacted the Lyme and co-infections in Carlisle, PA near where we lived when Joseph contacted it. His health issues have been similar, and he is making amazing progress with this treatment. This has been very encouraging to us!

Our current need:

1. Funds to cover our regular monthly expenses, $5,200

2. Funds to be put toward treatment in Germany to help Joseph get well and be able to work for a living. $38,000 total.

3. Extra beyond these needs would be put toward medical debt.

We cannot thank everyone enough for your support, but pray that God will bless each one richly for it!!!

     Hello, everyone! Thank you so very, very much for your prayers, loving care, and financial gifts that have helped make it possible for us to "stay afloat" throughout this medical journey!  We have some new developments to share with you that are exciting to us and may be an answer to prayers for wisdom.

     We learned through a Lyme support group that a 12 year old boy from the U.S. had been very sick for almost 5 years with Lyme, co-infections, and mold toxicity (very similar to Joseph).  He also had poor detox ability with sensitivities to light, sound, and touch and had seen many doctors with little success.  His parents were told of a German doctor that believed he could help him.  They flew to Germany for a 3 week treatment.  His symptoms were gone by the time the treatment was finished, and he was feeling like playing soccer again. 

     We were able to get a free 45 minute phone consult with this doctor.  After reviewing Joseph's case, he responded that he believed Joseph has a 95% chance of being at least 80% better after 3 to 4 weeks of treatment.  He has been able to successfully treat other patients with similar symptoms and diagnosis as Joseph.  We were told that many people in the U.S. discredit this doctor due to how little the treatment costs.

     This doctor uses a method that has been used for 60 years to cure cancer.  He began using it 3 years ago successfully for Lyme patients.  This treatment is not currently done in the U.S., and the order of the treatment is opposite than here.  We are understanding that Joseph should feel well enough after the treatment to at least be able to work part-time, and maybe more.  For more information on this treatment you may contact us directly.

     Funds that would be needed in order for Joseph to travel to Germany for this treatment with his wife and 2 children at home would be $35,000 to $40,000.  This would cover passports, plane fare, 3 to 4 weeks of treatment, food, transportation, and lodging.  This is in contrast to 3 months at the clinic in Florida for $150,000.  (He was previously there for treatment in 2018.)  

     We trust God to continue guiding us in coming days, and greatly appreciate your support and prayers as we navigate through this illness!  May God bless you each one!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the kindness each of you have shown to us by helping and supporting us along this journey in various ways!

New developments since last month:

1. Joseph was able to have an appointment with a sleep specialist to have an exam to get fitted for an appliance to help correct his sleep apnea. The dentist was very surprised when he took Joseph’s measurements. He thought he was one of the worst cases he had ever seen! 🙃 The measurement at the top of the throat opening when the tongue is at rest in most people averages 20 mm. A drinking straw is 5 mm. Joseph’s opening is 3.5 mm! The appliance will help keep his jaw forward to open up that area while sleeping.

2. We are researching ways to help calm down Joseph’s sensitivities that may be connected with Mast Cell activation. This would hopefully help him be able to tolerate higher levels of treatment. If this works perhaps we can continue with his present doctor without going to a more expensive specialist further away.

We desire your prayers for wisdom as we endeavor to navigate through this challenging illness that can take time to overcome!

There continues to be a need for further finances for treatment, living, and medical debt expenses.

May God bless each of you for your kind care is our prayer!

We are deeply grateful for the ongoing love and support that has been so kindly given to us! Thank you each one!!

New developments since last month:

  1. The new detox medication Joseph received last month prescribed at half the normal dosage was too strong for him, so his doctor cut his dose in half again.

  2. Joseph’s high blood pressure issue caused us to take a closer look at his sleep apnea that he has had for a long time. It has gotten worse the last while with some weight gain from being unable to exercise much. An in-home sleep study test revealed severe obstructive sleep apnea. We are looking into treatment for that, which could give him a boost in healing.

  3. We have been concerned the last two or three months that Joseph seems to be going backwards again. We were noticing more weakness in his legs with increasing difficulty walking. Also, along with sensitivity to light,sound, and touch he is now developing sensitivity to some chemical smells such as fragrances and bug spray. This causes his lungs to suddenly tighten with gasping/coughing spasms until he is away from the smell. Through the generosity of a donor, we were able to have a doctor appointment earlier this week. She believes Joseph needs a specialized mold/Lyme doctor due to the rarity and severity of his illness. We are in the process of praying and processing this information.

We have many things to be thankful for, and here are a few of our recent blessings:

1. Joseph’s doctor unexpectedly charged us $80 less than usual

2. His doctor was also able to give a prescription for a mouthpiece to be made for his sleep apnea that saved $90 to have another doctor do it.

3. Someone provided us a free place to stay overnight after the doctor appointment, since it would have been too much for Joseph to travel back home the same day.

May God bless you each one, for your interest and help during this difficult time for our family!!

We have a couple of prayer requests.

1. Joseph longs (Lord willing) to be able to enjoy working and supporting his family again. He also misses being able to go to church and doing activities with his family. He spends most of his time in his recliner. He desires prayer to stay patient in his afflictions and for endurance for his caregiving wife. 

2. We desire your prayers for wisdom for how to treat going forward!

“The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” ~ Nahum 1:7

   We are deeply grateful for everyone that has helped support us during Joseph’s illness! May God bless you!

      We continue to thank God for providing for us up to this point with food, clothing, medicines, as well as a roof over our heads! However, we are currently out of treatment and living expense funds once again; and are praying that God will continue to provide for our desperate needs as we face new deadlines. We have an immediate need of $5,200. We trust Him to make a way through this, as our needs are over our heads. He is so faithful! We do not know how God will choose to provide, but know that He is able and loves to provide for His children.

Joseph has been unable to work for almost two years now, and it is a miracle that money trickles in as we need it. We would like to share a couple of these more recent instances with you. We had an older washer and dryer set. The washer had been repaired by us 3 or 4 times in the past, and was needing a major repair soon that would not be worth making. Someone offered an almost new set to us for free if we could use them. Another time we had an important blood test that was needed along with a couple of other bills that needed paying by a fast approaching deadline. We began praying about it earnestly, and the next day $800 came from one donor that covered our needs just in time. This is the God we serve - praise His name!!

We believe Joseph is beginning to see some small improvements. He had an appointment with his doctor yesterday. She is prescribing a new medication to help detox his mold better, hopefully. She said it is a real game changer for some. We pray it will be helpful for him too, Lord willing! He will drop another medicine and replace it with this one.

It encourages us greatly to see God’s love coming through many of you that are helping to support us during this valley we find ourselves in. Thank you each one, and may God be praised for his goodness!! We pray a special blessing will be given to each of you. Please feel free to share this need far and wide.

     We continue to rejoice in God's faithfulness to provide for our needs and for the love shown to us by so many of you during this difficult time!

     Currently, treatment funds are ending again. Up to this point, Joseph has been able to get weekly IVs, prescriptions, and nutritional supplements that he's been prescribed. He was also able to have another follow-up doctor visit. His doctor changed one prescription medication to a different strength that is actually quite a bit cheaper and will hopefully help reduce his inflammation. (He is still battling bone pain, and strong, knifing headaches that cause nausea). She also offered to add Joseph to a group of doctors that she works with that do case studies on difficult patient cases. These doctors all specialize in mold/Lyme treatment. This is free advice from several doctors' experiences, so we are thankful for this opportunity!

     "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed because His compassions fail not."  - Lamentations 3:22. May God be praised for His sustaining mercies to us, and we are thankful for all who have reached out to us. May God bless you each is our prayer!