Most of you know Jim and Jodi Sutton from either PJH, Auburn little league softball/baseball or the cheer world. They have both involved in these programs for years. Jim volunteered for PJH as a coach, a board member, and then finished his last 3 years as the President. Jodi also volunteered for PJH and coached softball through Auburn little league. They have spent countless hours volunteering for numerous programs throughout our community which included being members of the Higgins Diggins Lion’s Club. They have given so much to our community and now they could use our help. Jim’s recent back surgery and his numerous complications have had a continue to cause a significant financial hardship In Feb of 2024 Jim had L5 S1 back fusion surgery. Then in December 2024 he slipped on ice and jarred his back pretty bad. Initially he thought he just aggravated his back and needed a couple days of rest. With no improvement he went to see his new neurosurgeon. They did an MRI & CT scan which showed the level above his prior fusion was aggravated. They decided to start a series of injections and Jim was put on modified work allowing him to work no more than 4 hours a day. Over the next several months he had a series of 3 injections with no relief. It was then that the neurosurgeon said they would need to fuse the next level as well. On May 10th Jim went in L4 S1 back fusion surgery. They replaced the original hardware, fused the next level up and then used rods to connect both fusions. He was only supposed be in the hospital for 2 to 3 days for recovery and then come home. Jim ended up coming out of surgery and spent the next 6 days in the hospital in severe pain, weakness on his left side and a severe drop foot. Finally on day 6 they did a follow up CT that indicated one of the screws they replaced was too close to the nerve and most likely the culprit for the severe pain, weakness and drop foot. Exactly one week later on May 17th he went back under the knife where they removed the screw and moved it further away from nerve. As soon as Jim was out of surgery, he was able to feel some relief from the severe pain on his left side but there was only slight improvement to the drop foot. After 2 more days in the hospital Jim was released to come home and start healing. A little over a week later, Jim started experiencing concentrated pain in his calf which was sensitive to touch and was swelling. Jim was advised by the doctor to go to the ER and have an ultrasound done. The ultrasound showed Jim had a massive DVT (deep vein thrombosis) aka a massive blood clot in his left calf. He was immediately readmitted back into the hospital and put on blood thinner medication. He was in the hospital for a couple days until they felt confident enough that the blood thinners would prevent the clot from going to his heart or lungs. Jim will be on blood thinners for 6 months and will also be starting physical therapy soon. He was supposed to be able to return to work part time not long after the surgery and be back full time within a couple months. However, the blood clot is causing severe pain in his left leg and with the development of drop foot there currently isn’t an ETA on when he will be released to go back to work. The reason the drop foot is such an issue is because Jim already has severe drop foot and a 2 inch differential in his right leg from a previous accident when he was 10 years old. Unfortunately, the State of Wisconsin does not have short term or state disability. Jim working part time for the last several months with no ETA of when he will be released to go back to work has caused a significant financial hardship on the family. Jodi has been their primary source on income this year and now their only source and she too has also experienced a decline in her income as the mortgage industry has been in a steady decline for the last year. With the major loss in income, no ETA on when he can return to work and the mounting medical bills, they could really use our help.
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