STATUS:
Waiting
My name is Jeff Jones, and I was raised in a small town in Northwest Ohio called Wauseon. Upon graduating from high school, I joined the Air Force in January 1977. I started my career as a Ballistic Missile Analyst Technician (BMAT) and was stationed at Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ. I was part of a Titan II launch crew until 1985, and I cross-trained into Wideband Communications, working on heavy satellite terminals, mobile satellite terminals, and Air Force Satellite communication. I was stationed at Camp Zama Army Installation, Japan, for two years; Eielson AFB, AK, for six years; and my last assignment was at Barksdale AFB, LA. I supported Desert Shield/Desert Storm and had a deployment to Saudi Arabia. I retired in January 1997 as a MSgt E7 and received the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal.
Upon retirement, I took a job with Raytheon at what was Fort Polk, now Ft. Johnson, LA, as the Maintenance Manager supporting the Joint Readiness Training Center. I served 27 years in that capacity under several contracts from Raytheon, CymSTAR, and Valiant.
I earned an Associate’s degree in Electronics through the Community College of the Air Force and used the GI Bill to receive a Bachelor’s in Business Management through the University of Maryland.
After retirement, I joined the Big Brother Big Sister program for seven years, receiving the Louisiana Big Brother of the Year Award. After that, I was the assistant Scoutmaster for DeRidder Troop 30 for ten years. When stationed in Tucson, I met my wife Maureen, and we were married in 1979 and are still going strong today. We raised one son and one daughter. Unfortunately, we lost our daughter to breast cancer in 2023. My hobbies include woodworking, gardening, and fishing.
My battle with kidney disease started in 2018. After it was diagnosed, I went on a round of Rituxan, which reversed it for about two years; then I did another round which helped for the short term. In 2023, my kidneys started failing again and went from a GFR of 32 to 12 in a few short months. I started peritoneal dialysis in March of 2023, and thankfully, it has worked well for me, but it is not a long-term solution. The gift of a living kidney transplant would give me my life back and allow me to spend more time with my wife and children.
Will you join DOVE in our mission to find a kidney for Jeff? Your support, whether through spreading the word on social media or considering becoming a donor, can make a profound impact on his life and the life of his family!
Jeff has enlisted the help of a Veteran's organization called DOVE Transplant which is helping in his outreach to find his life-saving kidney donor. DOVE will assist all prospective donors throughout the process and make sure they do not incur any out-of-pocket expenses related to the evaluation or surgery.
A healthy person can live a normal life with one kidney and save this Veteran's life! Please click on the link below if you would like to learn more OR call (551) 233-1611.
Jeffrey Jones
Air Force Veteran
