Jeff’s Story

Jeff grew up in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where, as a young kid, he dreamed of playing baseball in the major leagues.  In 7^th grade, he switched his allegiance to football after watching home town hero, Kent Howe, star for the local Lake Oswego Lakers high school team.  He knew what he wanted to do and set out to star for LO Football himself. 

Jeff achieved his goal and moved on to play college football at Southern Oregon University.  After three seasons as a starter, Jeff transferred and got a marketing degree from the University of Oregon.  While at UO, he developed a new goal of becoming a rock star guitarist.  He practiced day and night and became obsessed and energized with the progress he felt himself making at his craft.  That enthusiasm was soon stymied when he started having difficulty holding his guitar pick.  A battery of tests led to a diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis – Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Told to expect a horrific 3-5 years, culminating in his death, Jeff decided not to listen to the doomsayers. He decided not to let anyone predetermine his path and to just live his life as full as possible.  His daughter, Priya, was born AFTER the 3-5 year prognosis and he raised her as a single father.  He then began writing a daily message of inspiration (now called In The Trenches) and soon began receiving emails of appreciation from nearly every corner of the globe.  Impressed by his words of inspiration, in 2004, Lake Oswego High School football coach, Steve Coury, invited Jeff into his program as coach of motivation and inspiration.  This began an incredible coaching run for Jeff which saw his Lakers appear in six state championship games, including two state title wins, ten state semi-finals appearances, and a 168-46 record over eighteen years.  The team motto of LO48 came from one of Jeff’s inspirational letters to the team.  ESPN did a 12 minute feature on him, and in 2015, Jeff was inducted into the Lake Oswego High School Sports Hall of Honor for his contributions on the field and as a coach.

It has been 39 years since Jeff first saw symptoms of ALS, and many consider it a miracle that he has lived 34 years beyond his death prognosis.  In that time he has inspired and motivated countless people to live above their circumstances, to never take anything in life for granted,  and to live every day with passion.  While Jeff is thankful for the blessing of outliving his prognosis by such a large margin, this has also meant that for nearly four decades of high level expenses without income.  He currently lives alone and relies on meager government benefits that do not come close to covering the expenses associated with living with such a cruel and debilitating disease. As Jeff continues his commitment to inspire others, we here at Young With Heart are committed to supporting Jeff and his steep financial needs. We ask you to join us.

Jeff’s Needs

• CAREGIVER EXPENSES : Jeff needs caregivers 24/7/365. In recent years, the cost of caregiving has exploded. Keeping Jeff staffed with competent caregivers is his steepest and most urgent need. The situation is dire.
• TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE : Jeff is always in need of new and updated technology to help him overcome his disabilities. Examples: Computer equipment, environmental controls, alert system, etc.
• HANDICAP EQUIPPED VAN & MAINTENANCE  : The cost of modifying and maintaining a handicap accessible vehicle can be significant. Jeff’s van is still working, but it is 23 years old and needs work. Once more pressing needs are met, this will need attention.
• GENERAL & MISCELLANEOUS EXPENSES : You can probably imagine trying to survive on $861 per month. Housing, electricity, heating & cooling, garbage, water, food, gas, car insurance, internet, cable, phone, clothing, pet food, pet medicine, vet bills, miscellaneous expenses, etc. It’s literally impossible, but you can help.