Jays Journey.New Beginnings

09/21/2025

Just a heads up that we will be heading to Omaha again on October 7-9 for more exams and check ups. Jay’s been doing ok. Staying steady and losing weight and so far cellulitis free! Prayers he keeps doing good. Will give more updates after his appointment again. Feel free to share his gofund me again if anyone would like too. We are always trying to add to it for when we get his lifesaving call…..and the fact that it costs us around 200-400 everytime we make the trip to Nebraska between hotels, gas and missed work. Thanks again.

09/01/2025

08/31/2025

Shout out a happy birthday to Jay! He’s made it to 27 years old, although sometimes idk how! lol. He’s been through more in his life than alot of people twice his age and he still keeps fighting! I’m so proud of him. Love you Jay.
If anyone wants to send him a little $ to get a birthday treat today here’s the Venmo -Thoma-465
Or the cash app $KelyThoma
Thank you everyone

07/12/2025

This is why Jay’s dr wants him to walk daily .

Your heart doesn't work alone. In your legs, there's another one... and it's called the soleus. This deep, silent, and often forgotten muscle also beats for you. Not with electrical impulses, but with movement.

Every time you walk, climb stairs, or stand on your tiptoes, the soleus is activated. And when it does, it performs a heroic task: it pushes venous blood from your legs back to your heart, defying gravity. That's why it's called the "second heart".

Where does this discreet hero live? It's in the back of your leg, hidden beneath the gastrocnemius (calf muscle). It's not explosive or fast. It's resistant. Firm. Loyal. It's made to sustain you... without applause.

Why is it so important? Because when you activate it:

- Improves circulation

- Prevents blood clots and venous stasis

- Reduces leg swelling

- Protects your cardiovascular health

And the best part: it works even when you're standing still.

What can you do for it? Give it movement. If you spend many hours sitting or standing:

- Walk for a few minutes

- Lift your heels repeatedly

- Flex your ankles

- Make circles with your feet

Small gestures. Big results. Give rhythm to your soleus... and your heart will thank you.

Important note: The content presented has educational and informative purposes. It does not replace in-person medical consultation or personal diagnosis. If you have symptoms or doubts about your health, always consult a qualified professional.

06/26/2025

Been a busy few days in Omaha at Nebraska Medical with Jay. We left Dubuque on Monday afternoon and had a nice supper at Cracker Barrel so Jay was all fueled up and ready for his heart catheter on Tuesday. They were able to go through his artery in his neck so he only had to lay still for two hours afterwards. Then we left and fed the poor kid at Long John Silvers….can you believe he’s never eaten there before? Then we walked our meal off at Bass Pro (first time ever going there) before heading back to hotel for a well-deserved rest. Today he had ultrasounds and scans of his liver, stomach and pancreas…. No changes = fantastic news. His heart doctor was impressed with the fact the pressures in heart improved by 1%!!! (Thinking it was the weight loss. ) Doctor wants him to start incorporating walking and/or some type of physical activity 150 minutes weekly to keep his body in optimal prime (for Jay) condition so when they call, he will be more than ready. So he’s still waiting in the middle of the list for his heart and liver transplant. He’s staying steady for now, which we are grateful for. One more appointment tomorrow with a new specialist then we can head home. Just remember, as long as Jay’s health is staying relatively stable, we will be doing these trips every 3 months. It’s at least 1-2 nights stay because we live so far away and gas, food and lodging gets expensive. We are very careful not to use any extra money that we don’t need out of his “Medical account” so we are ever so grateful for any and all help we get. Cash app: $KelyThoma Venmo: -Thoma-465. We are staying positive and focused on Jay's health journey, and we are thankful for every step forward, no matter how small.

06/11/2025

Jay's beloved grandpa, Paul, passed away on Sunday, June 8, leaving us with a tremendous void. As we navigate this uncharted territory, please lift us up in prayer. Grandpa embodied selflessness, always operating in the background, ensuring everything ran smoothly, even if it took super glue and lots of duct tape. His unwavering presence, alongside grandma, has been Jay's rock since birth. Gramps instilled in us the power of resilience, believing in Jay's strength to overcome obstacles, even when doubts crept in. We're eternally grateful for the lessons learned from Gramps and the unconditional love he and grandma shared, shaping all of us into who we are today. His legacy will live on through our love and cherished memories.

06/11/2025

Our lives are forever changed. The world will be a bit sadder and different now. They honestly just don’t men like dad/grandpa anymore. There’s just not enough words to describe how this affects our whole family. We love you Paul Dimmer.

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05/10/2025

Jays got a young friend rooting for him while rocking his Jays Journey hat!

03/28/2025

On the way to Omaha for his checkup, we stopped in Williamsburg , Ia to check out the Kinze farm machinery plant. It was a nice break from the car ride and we got to learn alot about our “new to us” Kinze corn planter. We missed out on the guided factory tour but we got to wander around the museum part of the building. I thunk it made the boys’ wish list a bit bigger now! Lol
Jays check up was good. Nothing really changed except a few more med changes and drs want to start him on immunoglobulin therapy to help prevent more cellulitus flare ups in the future. Jays body “leaks” these little goodies, along with protein faster then his body produces them and that causes his immune system to have issues fighting the smallest infection. Even getting bruise can lead to cellulitis with him and hes always covered with those because he plays hard lol. This replacement therapy would either be a shot or an iv treatment every 2-3 months. We are waiting to hear back from drs about this.
We also learned that Nebraska medical dies an average of 49 heart transplants a year and currently there are 27 people there waiting for a heart …..they are all at different statuses and different circumstances for each so we just continue to wait and hope he stays healthy enough to recuperate quickly but at the same time, the waiting can and is hard on his mental health.

03/23/2025

Up here at Finley hospital right now. Early onstage of cellulitis again. Jay’s getting good at catching the very early signs of it. Dr was impressed as there’s not a lot of actual “physical “ signs of it right now….just a little swelling, tenderness and some redness. But with his health, no chances are taken. They’ll hook him up for iv antibiotics and hopefully in a few hours send him home with oral antibiotics and rest u til his appointment Wednesday at Nebraska Medical Center

03/15/2025

Jays been doing pretty good lately….just doing every day things and waiting for a phone call. He’s been retaining fluid again and weight is creeping back up again but it’s so hard to stay consistent on the low salt every single day but he learning to be more aware of what he puts in his mouth daily.
We go back to Omaha on March 26 so we will have more testing and follow ups and see what’s up then. Will keep you all updated. Thanks for all the support and prayers.

02/24/2025

Today marks 1 full month of Jay being listed for a dual heart and liver transplant in Omaha, Nebraska ……that’s 30 days of waiting so far and who k owe how many more to come yet before we get the call for his gifts of life.
But we’ve been busy living life while waiting, we had an awesome rummage sale for a fundraiser at our church a couple weeks ago and now we are just kinda coasting through the next couple weeks of winter waiting impatiently for spring.
Jay has gained back abiut 10 pounds of the weight he lost while inpatient, which drs expected but he’s still struggling to take it back off. The lower weight he is, the bigger pool of potential organs he can accept. But we all k ow it’s so hard to take those pesky pounds off. So if you see him or want to post words of encouragement here, please do so.
Here’s a picture of him at age 9 just cuz he was so stinking cute lol