grimm is responsible for a lot of our games here at PGA, he never asks for payment, he converts games because he can and he likes to provide games at many sites for their entertainment
This is real and it is now................ Please read on
The story of our friends, Jacki and Gabe Lakatos, is a love story. It is one that reaches well beyond the couple to transcend generations. Like many love stories, theirs is one that has faced and endured many challenges. Yet, unlike most, the challenges have moved from them having to navigate obstacles to them fighting a series unthinkable realities – including the loss of their home and even worse, Jacki’s life. Let me tell you their story.
Jacki and Gabe have focused on family their entire married life. Their home has been in Gabe’s family since his Father built it in1973. In 1993, as a result of unfortunate business decisions Gabe’s parent’s dreams of a family home almost came to an end and they almost lost their house. Jacki and Gabe, who had just recently been married, stepped up to stop this from happening. They took over and refinanced the debt from the business failures to help his father pay those bills which allowed Gabe and his parents to keep the home they has raised their family in. Gabe describes their home at that time as an amazing journey. Their son, Ben, was born in 1995. Gabe’s Mother was able to provide child care while Jacki and Gabe worked. Everything was great and their house was indeed a home. Jacki was progressing in her career with a LP Innovations and in 2004 she was offered a promotion requiring a lot of travel. A very exciting time, however, around the same time Gabe’s Mother’s health began to fail and they were faced with serious decisions. Because of their focus on family and home, they decided that Jacki would continue her career and Gabe would become a stay at home Dad and caregiver for his mom and Ben.
Things moved along nicely until 2005 when Jacki was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Instead of defeating her or them, they became determined to fight and beat the disease. This was when we met them through our association with a PT Cruiser car club. Not only were they determined to fight Jacki’s illness as a family they made the commitment to raise money for MS research. Jacki and Gabe organized a team, Cruisin Against MS, to participate in the annual MS Walk. This team was in place for several years.
Jacki’s MS started to accelerate in 2008. Then in early 2009 doctor’s advised her to under go chemotherapy to try and slow the disease. Luckily she had moved into a new position at work that allowed her to work from home part of the time. She was able to continue working through the rigors of chemotherapy. Gabe was able to take care of the family and provide support to Jacki to see her through this very difficult time. The chemo worked and Jacki made exceptional progress and things were looking up.
Less than a week after she finished the chemotherapy, Jacki received a call that she was being laid off effective immediately. Joy turned to panic. How would they survive? They tried several avenues to get assistance but to no avail. They cashed out their entire retirement savings and began looking for work, while still providing care for an ill parent.
Gabe’s Mother had been diagnosed with late stage cancer in 2007. By this time in 2009 her health had declined to the point that they knew she was nearing the end of her life. It was her wish to not die in a hospital. So with everything else they were facing Jacki and Gabe decided to provide care for her at home and make her last days happy. Gabe’s Dad continued to work and to provide financial assistance while Gabe stayed home and took care of his mother. They struggled but were able to survive, barely. Gabe’s Mother died in February 2010.
In April 2010 Jacki was offered a position with her previous employer at the entry level. Gabe was not so lucky in his search for work. He had been out of the workforce for a long time because of the emphasis that he placed on Family, an admirable characteristic. They lived day to day, paycheck to paycheck but they were together as a family.
Tragedy struck again in November 2013 when Gabe’s Dad died suddenly. Stunned by this tragedy Gabe continued to look for work. Ben, their son, graduated from High School in June 2013 and stepped up to help in whatever way he could. He was just finishing the fire academy, and had starting getting a set schedule as an EMT. Although willing, his entry level position limited the amount of help he could provide.
Early December brought yet another blow to the Lakatos family. Jacki’s doctor found a 17 centimeter mass as a result of a routine visit. The final diagnosis, after surgery to remove the mass, was Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. The treatment protocol was 21 weeks of intense chemotherapy. The hospital is 40 minutes away and she has to go 4 times a week. This has limited Gabe’s attempts to find work. It is no surprise to those of us that know him that he has dedicated himself to providing the best care for his family. But this has had a devastating effect on their ability to pay their bills, and there is a real possibility that they will lose their home. Along with that their health insurance has not been covering most of Jacki’s treatment to date, so the medical bills are mounting at a very alarming rate.
In a very difficult move Gabe approached us his friends for help. For some reason his pleas have gone unanswered. I hope that through this effort we will be able to help a family that has faced many challenges but has always put family first and financial security and personal gain way at the bottom of the list of priorities. To me it looks like they are not even on the list.
Please click on the link below, please have a look at the photo's that have been posted
Imagine yourselves in the position that grimm (Gabe) and his wife Jacki and son Ben find themselves in
If you can support and help them through this difficult time please do
http://www.youcaring.com/help-a-neighbor/hope-matters-supporting-the-lakatos/146206
Thank you
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