Jordon Burling-Mumford is our ‘Minister without Portfolio’ at Medicaleaf™. After a chance meeting on a train, Jordan shared his story, one which may be resonant for some or illustrative for others. He joins our team to share his story, support our cause and our mission to improve the quality of life for those suffering from pain and ailments and to work toward an effective solution for himself and others – or die trying.
Yes, Jordan has been given a deadline. His conditions have names and excruciating, painful symptoms. His medical team after countless consultations, interventions, surgeries and solutions can offer nothing more than pain relief for his slowly decaying nerve cluster - diagnosed as ‘S1 Gangliotic Radiculopathy’, the result of a recent ‘absent seizure’.
He tells us…” My parents arrived in the U.S. as poor immigrants with two small children and are now happy, successful, and fulfilled, one a medic the other a rocket scientist. I was a fit, strong, skateboarding, wave-riding beach boy from California who excelled at soccer. At school I was an academic achiever, the class leader, finishing tests first and setting the curve with my scores. In sport, I set the record for the number of goals scored in one season in my entire county's history.” and now…
At the tender age of 16 whilst was driving home from school, he blacked out at the wheel – experiencing his first epileptic fit. Despite crashing off a bridge and rolling the car several times – he survived without a scratch. His father and grandfather had also been sufferers and epilepsy (a condition which has played a large part in the injuries sustained alongside three ACL knee replacements, double broken wrists, concussions, spinal disc degeneration and CMS (Cluster Migraine Syndrome) etc) lead to the chronic pain he now experiences over various parts of his body and the permanent injury related to a seizure.
Over the years, after unsatisfactory surgical interventions, the medical solution became opiates to control pain.