UPDATE: 1/22/’19

The fate of my infected toe remains up in the air, much as the toe itself does in this photo, defiantly giving me and my crack medical team the finger.

I’ve had x-rays, a MRI, and tissue culture tests. Hopefully it will all come together at my next appointment with the podiatrist, with a clear decision what to do next. It’s possible the surgeon will be able to just remove the infected bone and adjacent bad flesh, and sew the toe back together. On the other hand, he may find it better to amputate the tip of the toe.

With that in the balance, I continue to be faced with a seemingly insurmountable debt, some of which has to be paid in the next few days to avoid disconnections. This GoGetFunding campaign, along with its related GoFundMe one, remain my only income, aside from my tiny Social Security payment, so right now I’m forced to ask you, both frequent flyers and new arrivals, to help me out with a donation.

First off, a big thanks to all of you who have helped so far. I’m sadly aware that some of you, good friends who have been kind and generous to me in the past, are now facing far worse situations than I am in. I want to acknowledge that and I hope for the best for you.

To the rest of you, I need to persevere with my campaign as a matter of my own survival. I’m got a some major bills to cover in the next few days -- my internet, another payment on my massive electric bill, the gas bill, some parts for my walker and wheelchair, not to mention food for the next few weeks. Beyond that the rent is due in a few weeks. I need a total of about $780 before the first. Of that, I need $350 by the 26th of this month to avoid a couple of shutdowns of my own.

If you can help with any of this, it’s deeply appreciated. Even small donations help a lot -- although I could use some big ones. Checks, CashApp, or any other method you would prefer can be made to work.

This campaign has never had the big win, but it keeps me going. My original goal was to build up enough funds to get ahead of my bills, which exploded during my seven months in the hospital and rehab, and continue to robo-call me in this long recovery period here at home. That hasn’t happened, but we march on.

There is some good news: the major diabetic wound on my left leg appears to have finally healed. This is thanks to you donors to a large extent, who financed the purchase of my CircAid Juxtalite compression stockings, which were not covered by my insurance. The compression helped my wound finally heal in a matter of months, after being a major issue for two years, and following months of inadequate treatment at the nursing home I was in.

As always, thank you for your past and future help.

Jim Wheelock