The Gospel Coalition

A little over a year ago, I was introduced to a Christian rap duo called Hazakim.  You can read a bit about their lyrics here.  They’re a promising young group.

Today, I learned that one of the members, Tony, has a rare and serious disorder with his esophagus.  He explains:

Some of you are aware of the medical issues I have been facing in recent months.  About 4 months ago I began having problems swallowing food & liquids.  The problem got progressively worse until I was unable to eat or drink nearly anything.  I finally went to the doctor and, after a number of tests, discovered that I have a rare esophagus disease called achalasia.  Essentially, the nerves of my esophagus, as well as the sphincter muscle which leads into my stomach, do not work to allow food to pass.  Because of this, I am unable to eat most things and am limited to a liquid diet consisting mainly of Ensure & vitamin drinks.  Pizza has never looked so good!

According to doctors, my case is severe and is complicated by inflammation which would make a balloon dilation of the muscle too risky…leading to a possible perforation of the esophagus.  In short, my only option is a complicated surgery to correct this condition.  In addition to the esophagus, doctors have found a cluster of enlarged lymph node on my left lung which they want to get biopsy samples of while I am in surgery for the achalasia.

Like many Americans I do not have medical insurance and thus am unable to have the needed surgery.  Meanwhile my weight continues to drop drastically.  Despite a constant intake of protein drinks, I have lost roughly 30 pounds in the past 3 months.  It may look “o.k.” now, but if my weight continues to drop, it could be hazardous.

And so I am reaching out to you, my brothers and sisters. I am literally looking at a couple thousand of dollars to get sufficient help for the present state of things. If each person could give $5 (or whatever you can), it would greatly help me to have the needed surgery & biopsy.  I appreciate the many of you who have already been praying for me and trust that the Lord will see me through this, for His glory.

Tony is one of some 50 million Americans without health insurance.  Forget all the Washington squabbles and punditry.  The simple fact is this: If you do not have health insurance and you get seriously ill, chances are you won’t get the care you need.  The Washington debates are important, but not nearly as important as real suffering.

We probably can’t fix the health insurance mess any time soon.  But we can help Tony and people like him with as little as a $5 contribution or more.  If you’d like to do so, you can read the entire appeal and learn how you can contribute here.  And please pray for those you know who are in need like Tony.