James Hale

Joe Hale 

In February 2018, Joe Hale fell ill with what he thought was the flu. It persisted for a few days and the pain in his abdomen became so excruciating that he went to the ER. Tests revealed that his intestines were covered with small tumors and Joe was referred to an oncologist. Soon, doctors discovered that they weren’t tumors at all, but instead lots of blood clots that had formed deep in his abdomen and were restricting blood flow to Joe’s intestines and organs. He was diagnosed as Factor V Leiden Positive with Severe Gut Thrombosis, a hereditary blood disorder.

Instead of putting Joe through surgery to remove the affected intestines, the surgeon halted the procedure and administered a blood thinner in an attempt to save the intestines long enough for him to seek a different treatment. Joe’s surgeon in New Mexico had previously worked at Cleveland Clinic, and he knew his former colleagues were working on groundbreaking treatments in gut therapy that could benefit him. Since his diagnosis, Joe has been in and out of the hospital with a number of minor complications, including swollen organs, low blood counts, and bouts of severe pain. Thankfully, Cleveland Clinic Center for Gut Rehabilitation and Transplantation accepted him as a patient, and he is scheduled to be there on November 12 for initial procedures followed by surgery on November 16.

During this difficult time, Joe is thankful for the love and support of his wife, Kendra, and their family and friends. Joe and Kendra have three children, and their family is very tightly knit. Joe and Kendra are involved in their children’s lives, spending nearly every weekend taking part in an event that is related to their many activities. Although Joe’s illness has caused him to slow down, he still tries to attend as many of their activities as possible. He is looking forward to going through treatment and regaining his lost energy so he can be the active husband and father he wants to be. His family is the most important thing to him, and he wants to be able to take them camping again and make priceless memories. Joe wants nothing more than to be healthy again and resume his active life with his wife and kids. But he needs your help.

Joe will travel 1,700 miles to receive treatment from experts in the field of gut rehabilitation. He and his wife will spend several weeks separated from their children as he seeks treatment, and will incur substantial expenses for travel, food, and lodging as they temporarily relocate across the country. The treatment Joe will undergo is expensive, even with insurance, and while hopefully, it will be the cure for his illness, it could also serve as a bridge to him eventually receiving an intestinal transplant.

Although he is very tired at the end of the day, Joe has continued to work throughout his illness. He has been with the same company for 6 years and is fortunate that they have worked with him throughout his hospitalizations and illness.  

You can help by making a tax-deductible donation to NFT in honor of Joe. If you'd prefer to send your gift by mail, please send it to the NFT New Mexico Transplant Fund, 3249 W. Sarazens Circle, Suite 100, Memphis, TN 38125. Please be sure to write "in honor of Joe Hale” on the memo line.

Thank you for your generosity!

Patient Health Institute: Cleveland Clinic Center for Gut Rehabilitation and Transplantation