jake borton

This is a tough post for me to make. Even though I have been disabled for six years, in my mind I believe I should be independent and able to handle my own finances. It is a tough pill to swallow that the expenses which come with being quadriplegic and ventilator-dependent are too enormous to manage with my own resources. I have lived an incredibly simple life - I own two pairs of shoes, a few shirts and pants, and the basic essentials. Several of you have encouraged me to create a fundraiser for myself, but I prefer to spend money on those who are truly in need...and I struggle to wrap my mind around the fact that I am in need. Being blindsided by the State of Minnesota's incompetence and corruption has changed my family's situation. My wife contacted Ramsey County last week regarding their illegal termination of my benefits, but as of today they have not reinstated anything...they say they're "looking into it." They have zero concern that I have lost my critical prescriptions, respiratory supplies, and home health care aides. They do not care that they have endangered my life. While it is exceedingly embarrassing for me, we have created a fundraiser to help me get back to Neuralink for my required follow-up visit. Realistically, at $38K, we will not be able to make this trip more than once, so we have to consider a permanent move to Florida to remain in the Clinical Trial. As explained in a previous post, I am not allowed to fly commercially, due to my ventilator. Attempts to drive 36 hours without my complete ventilator heater setup have landed me in the ER, and my Pulmonologist will not give me medical clearance to try that again. My wife sought four estimates from air ambulance companies with the capacity to fly ventilated patients. The quoted prices are $38K, $42K, $50K, and $62K (yes, my wife asked that last company if this was round-trip, and they said it is only one-way 😯). We would like to accept the $38K quote if we can raise the money. Please excuse my wife's too-kind narrative about me in the fundraiser summary. I also want to be transparent that the first $500 we raise, if we raise that much, will probably go to my respiratory Rx and supplies for this week, but the remainder will go to the air ambulance expense. I will try to have an update for you later this week. On Thursday, I will be doing my very first interview since my Neuralink procedure (actually, very first since my accident). As a Tesla fanboy, I am happy that this interview will be hosted by @teslaownersSV who have done an amazing job of learning my story. If you have the time, please join us. If you have questions, post them here and I will try to address them. And as for the fundraiser...it is here: givesendgo.com/air-ambulance…