Thank you!

I have lived with primary progressive MS for five years now, and recently my health began to worsen quite quickly. Hope seemed lost and I didn't know what more I could do. However this quickly changed thanks to a whole series of events. In June of 2016 I will be travelling to Russia to perform a HCST procedure with the minimal goal of halting the progression of my MS and the ultimate goal of getting some of my old life back. The procedure is very expensive and I could never have done this without the hundreds of people who have supported me on Go Fund me. This blog is a chance for me to give something back to all the people who have made it possible for me to go to Russia for this life changing treatment. I am forever grateful for all your support and I hope you will follow me over the next few months from now until my upcoming treatment in Moscow on June 14th 2016. Sharing my journey with all of you feels so meaningful since it no longer seems like solely my struggle. You are all an intricate part of it. It has become clear to my family and I just how much a part of a whole web of amazing people that we belong to! We are humbled and grateful to be even a mere thread in all of this humanity. Right now the HSCT treatment seems insignificant and unimportant compared to the euphoria of being loved and cared about as reflected in your generosity. This soul force, if anything, will indefinitely slow down the progression of my sickness. Your support is as healing as any treatment I will receive in Russia. Now that a few weeks have passed since my mother put out the information about the upcoming treatment, I can honestly say that these weeks have been some of the most touching days of my life. It is as if all the years of my life, all the people, all the connections, have arrived at this point in time with the purpose of helping me and my family. Powerful stuff. It would be easy to believe that a person might feel a sensation of hubris, believing that they must be something special for getting so much attention. It is, however, the exact opposite. There is instead a great feeling of humility and gratitude; a feeling of unworthiness. There are countless fundraising attempts on gofundme with only a fraction of what we received in the first hour! Why us? Why me? Of course one explanation for this is that the circles that I have been fortunate enough to have moved in have been enormous. Attending two high schools, playing sports, going to college, playing and coaching abroad, travelling, working in different countries and finally the fantastic community that we have settled in – all have enabled me to cross paths with so many incredible people. This, however, only gives a small part of the story since this part of the story is only about me. In reality the involvement in these events are more about the kind of people that I have been fortunate to share this life with – my family; my wife, my parents, my sisters, my aunts and uncles, in-laws and my wife’s family, etc…This explains why my family has received so much help. Simply put; people care about my family that care about me! The support we have received is a testimony to the kind of lives these people have lived rather than anything I have done. Thank you! Danke! Merci! Tack! (this includes Danish too – but pronounced like gagging on porridge)

With love,

John

Emelie's Digital Art