November 27, 2024
Jacob, now 19, was on the beach with his family during a family vacation. Suddenly, a storm rolled in, and he was struck by lightning, leaving him lifeless on the sand. Despite the odds, he miraculously survived after weeks in the ICU but woke up to the devastating news that he was paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors said he would never walk again, and his legs were deteriorating rapidly. They were dying. Determined to save his legs and regain mobility, Jacob and his family traveled the world for medical treatment and therapies. Finally, they found a breakthrough device in Vienna, Austria, that could save his remaining muscle tissue and give him hope for further recovery. Despite facing numerous challenges and setbacks, Jacob devoted more than 30 hours per week to his recovery efforts, including physical exercise, electrical stimulation, and laser therapy. He also started high school six months later than his peers but worked tirelessly through summers and holidays, alongside his therapies, to graduate on time. Despite being denied admission to his desired colleges and missing out on scholarship opportunities due to a lack of extracurricular activities, Jacob persevered and was accepted into LSU of Alexandria's online program. He continues to excel with a perfect GPA while balancing his studies and physical therapies. Over the past four years, Jacob has overcome so many obstacles. His family was told he may not survive or, if he did, he may be in a vegetative state. He struggled to sit up and hold a cup in his hands. He was told he would never use his legs again. He is lifting heavy weights and standing with parallel bars and braces, pushing his body to its limits. Jacob’s progress has been remarkable. While he once questioned why this happened to him, Jacob now believes God has a plan for him and is still determined to walk again. Jacob also hopes that one day, he may be able to help others who are dealing with catastrophic neurological injuries. Jacob’s story inspires others to never give up, no matter their challenges. This Giving Tuesday, we have a special request. We want to help Jacob achieve his dream of driving. We know times are tough for everyone, but even a small contribution of $1-$25 can make a huge difference for us. Jacob recently got his license, but to drive our 2008 handicap van, he needs hand controls and modifications, which cost over $4000 to install. We hope to raise enough funds to make this happen. Help Hope Live is generously waiving all fees this Giving Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024, making it the perfect opportunity to support Jacob and his dream of driving. Thank you again for all the love, support, and prayers!
July 13, 2023
Echos from the Past
On July 14th 2020, my sweet little family boarded a plane to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. One last vacation before school starts, and Jacob starts marching band practice. We were so excited and couldn't wait to get to the beach. We rented a car and drove across Florida to Siesta Key. We grabbed some groceries and headed to our little rental on the beach. The first day was beautiful and relaxing - just what we needed after dealing with lockdowns all spring. Then the following morning, Jacob was extremely tired and said he couldn't fall asleep because he had nightmares that someone was chasing him all night! We told him to sleep a little longer. If I had known what would happen next, I would have told him to stay in bed all day.
Jacob and I joined Jeremiah and Ashley on the beach. It was a beautiful summer day, not a cloud in the sky. We had sandwiches on the beach and soaked up the sun. Then the sky over the water started to darken a little. It was still far away. No lightning. No thunder. People were still on the beach. I told my husband we should go soon and take the kids to get ice cream. A few minutes later, that dark cloud was moving faster. We picked up our stuff and started walking off the beach. Suddenly there was a flash, and I found myself on my hands and knees, ringing in my ears. I looked over, and Jacob was standing, eyes rolled back, foam coming out of his mouth, and his face turning blue. Then he dropped to the ground and I started screaming "JACOB!" My husband looked back, ran over to Jacob, and started shaking him. He was in cardiac arrest and needed CPR NOW! I looked around and said, please help; he needs CPR. Two men ran over and started doing CPR.
After 5 minutes of continuous CPR, the storm broke on top of us. The lightning flashed around us, The rain pouring down, the wind blowing sand in our faces, and trying desperately to revive Jacob. We had to get off the beach. My husband and these men picked up Jacob's lifeless body and carried it for 50 yards to the beach access. Mark Eve, a sheriff's deputy, came running up and said drop him! He started doing CPR again, trying desperately to save our son. Finally, they got a beach cart to us in the storm, risking all their lives to save our son's life. They brought him to the ambulance. Forty-five minutes later, they resuscitated Jacob and transferred him to Tampa Bay General Hospital. After fighting for his life for weeks due to the extreme extent of his injuries, we learned that the lightning also damaged his spine and nerves, leaving his legs paralyzed.
Tomorrow morning I will be traveling 1000 miles to the very beach Jacob was struck on to pass out flyers to share Jacob's story and raise awareness. One of our followers, Paula Hillard, has been sending Jacob cards and has become family and is graciously allowing me to stay with her. Jacob has fought hard, and his fight to walk again is far from over. We could use help as Jacob's newest physical therapy isn't covered by insurance and costs $600-$900 a week; we still need to remodel the bathroom; the price quoted was $12,000-$15,000, and we are hoping to be able to do a new medical breakthrough treatment in Mexico that costs $55,000 for their 28-day protocol, and usually needs to be repeated 2-3 times.
We are extremely thankful to everyone for all the love, support, and prayers. It is truly a miracle Jacob survived, and we thank God every day that he is with us. We couldn't have gotten him this far and saved his legs if it wasn't for you guys. If you bought a shirt, please send me pictures of you wearing them. Let's make Jacob's story go viral. Times are tough for many, if you cannot support financially we completely understand. Prayers for Jacob are greatly appreciated! Sharing his story is much appreciated too! Thank you!
June 23, 2023
The RISE Stimulation machine from Austria works beautifully, and Jacob's legs look much healthier. Jacob did his 1st rolling 5k a couple of weeks ago, and we went camping at an ADA-accessible campground for the first time since the accident. It's been great spending time together as a family again after spending so much time apart. We are so excited as we just discovered a new physical therapy place called React in Addison, Texas. Jacob is loving the new environment and working hard on his recovery. We included Jeremiah's video of how much recovery Jacob has made over a year.
However, just as we felt like we were in a good place after years of trying to save Jacob's legs, finding a therapy center to call home, and Ashley getting ready for her senior year, we got some devastating news.
Jeremiah was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive skin cancer called Pleomorphic Dermal Sarcoma. It can metastasize quickly and move into the lungs and lymph nodes. So we are taking every precaution to make sure this doesn't happen. Jeremiah is having surgery tomorrow to remove the tumor on his head, and they will remove the skin around it. We ask for prayers that the surgery goes well and that this doesn't metastasize. Jeremiah has to see these kids graduate, and he has to see Jacob walk again. It has been extremely difficult with the additional doctors' appointments, ct scans, and the fear of losing Jeremiah. We have weathered worse storms and have faith we will also get through this.
“ The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” Psalm 18:2
April 20, 2023
After the passing of Jacob’s doctor we had to make a huge decision on what to do about Jacob’s physical therapy. So my husband had a vision and brought it to life. Our DIY At Home Rehabilitation Center is finished. We completely rearranged everything in our front room. We hope that with the new medical device from Vienna and doing PT we can get these nerves to wake up again.
February 28, 2023
How far would you go to save your son's legs? Jeremiah and I travelled to Vienna, Austria holding our breath, wondering if it would work. We couldn't believe it when we saw the device on Jacob's legs move muscles that hadn't moved in two years after trying every type of stimulation device in America. Tears rolled down my cheeks. Jeremiah, with tears in his eyes, his face looking relieved that he had found it! After travelling to Chicago, Kentucky, and Florida and talking to John Hopkins in Baltimore, we finally found a way to stop his legs from deteriorating. Thank you, God!! Now we had to figure out how to get it home, which was much more complicated than anticipated.
We contacted several customs brokers to help us get it through. They kept repeating, "yeah, if it's not FDA-approved, you can't bring it into the states." Jeremiah even considered going John Q style and just bringing it in and risking it all. Because when you have fought this long and this hard, and you want to save your son's legs, you'll do anything! Late Friday afternoon, we contacted a fantastic woman named Wendy with ABCO customs; she said, "You know what, I will try." Wendy worked on it all night until midnight Saturday; she got approval to get through customs with the device; however, we were not allowed to use the device until the FDA completed their review. This is why we didn't post last week until we knew what would happen legally. We have been holding our breath for 3 days, just praying they would approve it. Wendy just called and wanted to tell us personally that we can stop holding our breath. She said congratulations, the FDA approved your request. We have the approval to use the device only as a personal device! YES! WE DID IT! We can't thank everyone enough for all the prayers and support. This device is incredible; already, his legs are looking healthier. Now let's pray we can keep getting more recovery of his nerves. This journey isn't over; just another part of the incredible story. Jacob is still fighting to walk again.
February 13, 2023
A year ago, my husband begged anyone and everyone to keep an eye out for a medical stimulation device that could stimulate Jacob's denervated muscles. A year ago, we went from trying to walk again to saving Jacob's legs! My husband did it! After many, many sleepless nights. After months, weeks, and days of pouring over research worldwide, he found it. He located a scientist in Vienna, Austria, who, after 35 years, developed a machine that can stimulate denervated muscles up to 10 years after injury. It is the only device in the world that has been proven to stimulate denervated muscles. Unfortunately, you cannot purchase the device and have it shipped to the US. So we are travelling to Vienna, Austria, to meet this amazing man behind the machine and attempt to activate these muscles. Please pray it works!! We can purchase the machine and bring it back to the states if it does. If we don't do something, Jacob will face amputations. He is such a fighter!! How far would you go to save your child's legs?
