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Help for dbltree...

Gladiator

PMA Member
Some of you may know and others not...please take the time to read if you would.

You know, there are a few good men out there you’d give your right arm for. People who’ve not only helped you, but impacted your life in ways too many to mention. Paul Knox – dbltree – is one of them. He’s never asked a thing from me but has helped thousands of people online and in person for free over the years – with both foodplot help and life help. He’s never complained a lick about his life, but has been ever thankful for every day he’s been alive on planet Earth.

The most humbling thing about his life isn’t the fact that he’s shown us all how to live a life of serving God, family, and others – or the fact that he’s shown us what integrity, hard work, and a servant-attitude has look like. It’s the sheer fact that even now with his crippling disease advancing, he’s showing us how to exit this Earth with grace and a thankful heart. He has shown us how to live and now going to show us how to pass with dignity.

I’ve never been good at being a deliveryman for bad news. It’s not in my nature…nor is it in dbltree’s. That is why it’s taken so long for him to show any sign that he needs some help. It brought me to tears when he told me and gets me as I type this now. Paul was recently diagnosed with ALS, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and it is taking its toll on him rather fast. On January 3, he was diagnosed with the ugly disease and given 2-4 years to live. Less than a year later he can hardly shuffle across the floor, barely speak, and now needs some support structures at home.

This is why I’m writing all of you and putting this post out there. At Outreach Outdoors, we have come together and will be taking donations for Paul and getting those to him as fast as we receive them. In talking with him and his wife, Lori, I’ve calculated at least $11,000 we’d like to raise for him currently (in the form of a motorized wheelchair, eye-gaze computer, motorized lifts, etc.). It is tough on his wife to lift him out of bed, the chair, etc and it’s crazy how fast this disease is working. There will be more costs in the future, so you can donate at anytime through PayPal – or credit card via PayPal. We have tagged the donation button so every penny goes to Paul’s family. This is one of the last snippets from an email from Paul, “Our income is from SSDI which we are grateful for but it's barely enough to survive so financial help for equipment will be appreciated.”

Would you consider donating to a man who has probably saved many foodplot growers thousands of dollars with his free information….free information that will live with us forever since he has taken thousands of hours to post online for all of us to see??

Many will ask “what can I do?” Here’s how/where you can help – we've created Paul's own forum at OO: Dbltree's Forum

To DONATE, please go to the following link: Dbltree's Story

To follow Paul’s journey and respond to his prayer request, please consider signing up on our forum (if you want to post) to leave a message of encouragement for Paul (and you can reply here as well, but his whole story is on Outreach Outdoors if you want to read it): Leave a note for Dbltree

To read about what Paul’s life is really about, click here (tough to get through the first page without some tears): Life and Times of Dbltree

Other ways to help: Chris Lane is looking at some online auctions with IowaWhitetail.com. If you have some things that could be donated for online auction, or a spring fundraiser, please reply to this post/thread or PM myself.

Our timeline is to raise as much money now for Paul’s family while the need is there. In the spring, we are planning a 3-D bow shoot. If you could possibly help with running a 3D shoot or have or know someone who could donate a target, please let us know. The fundraiser will be followed with a dinner and “good Roast” of Paul. All people will be welcome to an open microphone to tell Paul publicly how much he’s helped and/or affected your life. If anyone has experience or can help run this, we are looking in the Keosauqua area.

Please consider helping out if you can – monetarily, through prayer, or a post of encouragement. This has nothing to do with IowaWhitetail, Outreach Outdoors, QDMA, Michigan Sportsman, etc, but about helping a brother out who has helped us much through the years.

If you want to read about when his struggles started, you can read below regarding his timeline and about ALS. Thanks for your time in reading this and your response to the call as well.

God bless -

Matt Thede and the Outreach Outdoors Crew

Some have been wondering about when Paul started noticing some struggles. Below is a timeline for when the first symptoms appeared:

July 2012 – couldn’t turn ignition in truck
August 2012 – Started tripping in the timber
September 2012 – Tried to run and fell flat on his face
October 2012 – Legs began to feel weak
November 2012 – Couldn’t pull bow back when a buck came by, made Dr. appt.
December 2012 – Had EMG and two MRI’s , falling often in timber
January 3rd, 2013 – Diagnosed with ALS, given 2-4 years to live
February 2013 – 2nd opinion confirms diagnosis; walking with limp, right hand became barely usable
March 2013 – 3rd opinion UIHC same; no longer able to work in timber; son Jesse takes over business
April 2013 – Trouble standing up
May 2013 – Voice begins to weaken
June 2013 – Fell twice in house; began using walker
July 2013 – Left hand losing strength
September 2013 – Fell using walker
December 2013 – Type with 1 finger; barely able to shuffle with walker; voice nearly gone; ordered a power wheel chair; wife has to bath him, lift his legs into bed, help sit up and use the bathroom.

For those wondering what ALS is:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they require to function, the muscles begin to atrophy (become smaller). Limbs begin to look "thinner" as muscle tissue atrophies.
 
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Geez that is some sad news. I met Paul and his wife at the whitetail classic a few years ago and picked his brain about some food plot questions and I had no idea what I was talking about really. He and his wife were both extremely nice and helpful. only talked with him for about 15 minutes but could tell the passion he has for what he does and how nice of a guy he is. He will be in my prayers.
 
I'm not on the forums often anymore and I'm so sorry to hear this about Dbltree. Thank you for sharing this and for giving us an opportunity to help a brother in need. I will certainly keep Paul and his family in my prayers.
 
Paul is an amazing man. He has not only shared a wealth of information to all of us foodplot dreamers but takes the time to answer God knows how many E-mail ans PM questions. He always has a positive attitude and his enthusiasm is contagious.

I am extremely saddened to hear about his suffering from ALS. I pray for him and his family in this tragic time. Thank you Paul, you have touched many lives. More than I am sure you will ever know.
 
I don't know what to say other than I'll be praying for you and your family. My grandpa has ALS so I've seen what it does.

Although I haven't done any foodplots myself I can say without a doubt you have helped many many people with the advice and expertise you have freely given. Thank you.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
 
Tore up to say the least I can't say enough good to cover Paul's unselfish giving in all areas of his life. Matt thanks for setting this up. Will contribute and prayers sent.
 
Tough news, we need to respond and all of us do what we can do. Prayers go out from me and my family to Paul. His contributions to the forum are endless! Lets all see what we can do to help!

TLH
 
The world offers up a few good men, Paul is one of the best--and I don't even know him that well, its just that obvious! The info and experience he has shared on this site alone is the stuff books, upon books are written about.

Prayers to you and your family, Paul!
 
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I just sent in my donation of $100.00. Paul has been like having an expert at arms reach as I just started my own food plots and didn't have to trial and error for 5 years. All I had to do was read the dbltree forum. It felt like I knew him even though I have never met him. I will have dozens of dwarf chinkapin oak trees in the woods next fall in honor of Paul.
 
Heartbreaking news ... thoughts and prayers for Paul and his family. I can't even imagine the change this terrible disease brings. I don't know Paul at all but am always looking at the endless amounts of information that he has so generously shared with all of us. I will try and work on some things to get to auction.
 
My God, truly terrible news to read this! He has done so much for all of through a common-bond of loving the outdoors. I will be sure to donate to the cause.
 
I will be donating and I'm sure I have some things for auction.
Shep

Thanks to everyone who has donated. I know in less than a day we are up to $2,200! Thanks to the individual who donated $1000.00 :way:

I'll keep updating each day as more people see this.

Please pass the word and let's see if we can't reach that goal by the end of the week!

$11,000
- $2200
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$8,800 to go..... :way:
 
Thanks to everyone who has donated. I know in less than a day we are up to $2,200! Thanks to the individual who donated $1000.00 :way:

I'll keep updating each day as more people see this.

Please pass the word and let's see if we can't reach that goal by the end of the week!

$11,000
- $2200
----------
$8,800 to go..... :way:

Its great to see how many people Paul has helped over the years! I know I look through his forums each spring and keep finding things to change with my plots.
Thanks for all the info Paul!
 
I haven't ever talked with Paul but thanks to him I had my first foodplot in this year. Even though it wasn't the thing dreams were made of, I still got it in. Prayers sent to his family, I'll be donating for sure.

I know it's not much, but I sent a few bucks his way.
 
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This is very sad to hear. My thoughts and prayers go out to you Paul and your family.
If I can donate some Mulie and whitetail sheds for the auction just give me a pm.
 
Thank you Gladiator for taking this initiative, if ever there was a worthy cause and a deserving person for our consideration and compassion...this is it. Paul is truly a one-in-a-million type of guy, for several years now he has provided virtually unlimited first class help and instruction to thousands and thousands and thousands of deer hunters and land managers everywhere and has always maintained his integrity and high standards. Few others can say the same.

Who knows, if it wasn't for Paul I would probably be out there wasting my money and buying expensive, Buck-On-a-Bag(BOB) seed with everybody else! :D But because of Paul I am now a dyed-in-the-wool cereal rye, clover and forage radish planter too! And now I even sort of know what I am doing when it comes to food plots and switchgrass, etc. :D

I feel very fortunate to call Paul a friend of mine and I know he has helped me immeasurably in terms of managing the farm that our family is fortunate to have. It so happened that our farm was fairly close to one of the farms that Paul had too. (He has since sold the one that was closest to us.) Paul visited our place several times over the past several years and has always given me great advice and instruction and also completed some plantings and sprayings for me.

But food plots, TSI, edge-feathering and so forth really aren't what Paul Knox is all about. He is a genuine Christian man that places God and family above all else and lives his life according the Holy Bible as much as any person I have ever known. Accordingly, I am even more fortunate to also be able to call Paul a brother, a brother in Christ.

One telling mark of a man to me is to consider how does that man's family and child(ren) conduct themselves. If you know Paul, you know that his wife and son Jesse are also top notch people. Paul's wife is working extremely hard right now to support and care for her beloved husband, at the same time that his son is carrying on the business that Paul started. There are no two harder workers to be found than Lori and Jesse and no two finer people.

Thanks again Gladiator for bringing this opportunity to light, but I really want to thank Paul for being such a fine man, an excellent example, a great teacher and friend. Thank you Paul! Love, Daver.
 
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