When life’s burdens become too heavy to carry on our own, sometimes each of us needs help to endure that heavy lifting.
Josh Ballard takes that call literally.
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Josh Ballard holds a piece of lumber Jan. 16 that reads “For Michael,” as he prepares to carry a 120-pound load up and down Campbell Hill to raise awareness for his friend in need of an intestinal transplant. (PHOTO | VIDEO SCREEN SHOT) |
When an old friend contacted him for help raising awareness and funds for a Go Fund Me page to pay for a life-saving intestinal transplant, Mr. Ballard rose above platitudes and took action.
That is why Mr. Ballard spent Saturday, Jan. 16, traversing up and down the highest point in Ohio. He was bearing about a 120-pound load, roughly the same weight as the man he is trying to help, Michael Evans.
“Michael asked me for help to raise funds for his Go Fund Me, and I wanted to do something to demonstrate carrying Michael, and the weight of this burden,” Mr. Ballard said. “I told Michael I’m going to carry him to the top of Ohio if that’s what it was going to take to raise the money for his transplant.
“I found out that the highest point in Ohio was at Campbell Hill.”
Mr. Evans, 31, has endured 20 surgeries over the course of his two-decade battle with Crohn’s disease.
Those surgeries have left him with only a fraction of intestine compared to the average person.
Mr. Evans has so little intestine left that no longer can his body adequately store nutrients from food in order to sustain his life. Currently, Mr. Evans is fed through an IV that’s hooked up to him 12 hours per day. Regular IV solution keeps him hydrated an additional four hours per day.
Mr. Evans is currently on a waiting list for an intestinal transplant at the Cleveland Clinic that will cost approximately $1.25 million.
In all, Mr. Ballard went up and down Campbell Hill 62 times, spanning 14,466 yards, the equivalent of 120 football fields. He did so bearing a betterthan-100-pound load consisting of a piece of lumber that read, “For Michael,” a 20-pound vest, and a backpack loaded with a 35-pound cattle bell.
“We raised almost $6,000 that day,” Mr. Ballard said. “The cost for Michael’s operation is close to $1.25 million, and the goal for the Go Fund Me page is $75,000.
“I intend to keep making regular trips back to Campbell Hill until we hit our goal, and Michael gets a transplant.”
To read more about Michael’s story or to donate to his cause, visit his Go Fund Me page at https://www.gofundme.com/michael-evans-1984.
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