Jason’s wife Shawna Ellefson is advocating for her husband Jason Ellefson to raise money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with a Catastrophic Injury and devices that will get him back to doing what he loves most ie. ( Golfing, playing bass in a band, bowling, travel, and last but not least walking . Jason has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to cover medical and related expenses. Jason has anoxic brain damage over 80% of his brain and suffered a spinal cord stroke which left him a T-7 incomplete spinal cord injury. This was all caused by sudden cardiac arrest. He is a miracle and we are lucky to have him still with us. This is Jason’s story.
On Monday April 22nd 2024 started out as a positive day, I had just that morning started a new job (my dream job really) I was being onboarded that day and when the day was coming to an end I was settling down and Jason was heading off to band practice. He played bass in a Rock band. All I can remember was how happy he was for me and excited and proud of me and my new job. He put his bass in its cover and through over his shoulder and headed out the door with the biggest smile on his face. I never ever thought that later that night our lives would be changed forever. Around 8:30 Pm in the middle of a set Jason suddenly collapsed . His band mates running around frantic not knowing what to do called 911. There weren’t sure what was happening to him, then they realized he wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse, it was pure chaos.
His guitar player who had just finished CPR certification 2 DAYS PRIOR jumped into action and started chest compressions and mouth to mouth. The ambulance arrived and tried their best to get a pulse. He suffered 4 cardiac arrest that night and the longest he was gone for 15 minutes. This unfortunately caused anoxic brain damage and a spinal cord stroke due to lack of blood flow and oxygen. He was put into a drug induced coma His heart had gone into Ventricular fiblluration, this is what caused the cardiac arrest.
For a week he fought for his life with surgeries, cooling mats, coma and returning his heart and oxygen back to normal function. It was as if time was still but moving like the speed of light all at the same time. Doctors gave him a grim prognosis, they said that he would be a in a vegetative state all his life due to the brain damage. I got a second opinion from a neurologist and he gave Jason a 0% chance that he would ever live a normal life like feeding himself. I walked away from that meeting as stubborn as an ox and said ” You don’t know him” . I fought so hard for him in those rooms, when everyone was saying he was not going to make it. What I needed was support and people to stand and fight with me. When to everyones suprise Jason awoke, didnt he was speaking small words and was able to swallow. He was like a child but an adult with some of the things he would say. He could not move his legs and at that time we didnt still know why. He was transferred to the Heart monitoring unit where they tried to get his heart in a healthy rhythm, it was working so they had to install a defilbilator and pace maker and perform a cardioversion which shocked his heart back into a sinus rhythm. Jason lost about 80% of his memory, or things, food, people, devices etc. His first shower was actually scary to him and he didnt understand the water hitting him. He has had to relearn everything. He was transferred to a rehab in San Jose Ca. Where he only got 30 day of rehab for a brain injury and spinal cord stroke. It was devestating. You hear about all these people who get all state of the art rehab and Jason’s company said they didnt have a benefit for it. He was with them for 25 years. Jason was hospitalized for a total of 89 days. I had to quit my job to care for him, be his teacher, mother, cook, maid, nurse, handyman etc. We can no longer afford the home we live in so we are moving to a smaller more affordable home hopefully. Doctors say he will never the same way he used to. Robotic leges will give him his dignity back and independence, it will allow him to play in bands in and be able to stand. . The Ottobok Accessible golf cart will allow him to do the sport he loves so much . I am also trying to raise money to pay for the hand controls to be installed in a accessible car. This is not covered by insurance and is around $7,500 . Jason also wants a first response dog who can sense if he is about to go into V-fib and warm him to sit so he doesn’t pass out and hit his head. Also to help him when using a walker or robotic legs not to fall. Jason said out in public he would feel safer with a big dog as well.
Im a part of an organization called WAGS of SCI and I have met many women who are going through what I am, losing everything, alone, but we are all fighters. I have started a blog to help other women where the help I needed in that moment wasnt given to me, even direction. The site is called www.survivingwithstyle.com.
Jason remains a paraplegic and his brain is healing but we have a long long road ahead of us. Every Human has free will, and western medicine can only take you so far and then after that comes GOD and the universe. I became a feral female in all of those rooms. You see, Jason is literally the kindest, funniest, most loving and generous man Ive never known. I know hes my husband but really he was brilliant, wildly talented and kind to the core. He taught me what unconditional love was, we met later in life and helped me raise my two boys, loved me through all of my dark times and when I showed him my emotional battle scars he kissed them and loved me anyways. There was no way as long as I have breath in my lungs was I going to give up on him. I knew if anyone could come back from this, it. WOULD BE JASON.
Thank you for reading our story and God bless.
Shawna & Jason
