Frank Villegas - in treatment for debilitating tinnitus (Updated 9/21/22)

About Frank Villegas 

Frank Villegas was born into a Native American tribe in New Mexico and was raised Catholic. After being away from the Catholic Church for a period, he returned to the Church in 2019. At the same time, his wife joined the RCIA program at the Basilica to become Catholic herself. Frank and his wife, Jerry, have become active parishioners since then, often coming during the day for prayer and Adoration, attending daily Mass, as well as helping us during our Under One Roof campaign. 

Frank discerned a calling to serve the Lord at the altar, and he trained as a Basilica altar server for the Extraordinary and Ordinary Forms. Until becoming sick, Frank has served for as many Masses as he could. Frank also assisted with recent altar server training sessions and encouraging new servers. Most recently he participated in the Men's Vespers's Schola. 
 

Frank's Illness

In February 2021, Frank began suffering from debilitating headaches and difficulty sleeping that kept him homebound. His doctor determined that blood flow is being constricted to one side of his brain, and he began working with a vascular specialist. Frank has good days and bad days. He never knows when he is going to have a bad day or a good day, and this makes it hard for him to be able to plan to participate in the ministries and activities he has enjoyed doing. Frank thanks God for each day and prays for a time when he can return to active ministry at the Basilica. 

The Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul is very important to Frank and his wife Jerry. Though Frank is not able to attend in person right now, he attends via our live-stream and keeps up with Basilica happenings on our Facebook page and website.

Frank's Story and Message to Fellow Parishioners

Frank has written the following background about his health condition, to all who are praying for him. 

For many years now I have been undergoing infusion treatments every 6 weeks to keep me in remission of my Crohn's disease. The Crohn's is an inflammation of my large intestine. The problem with the infusions is that the body's immune system is suppressed, which leads to the possibility of infections. On one occasion after a treatment, I came down with pneumonia and ear infections. I was prescribed heavy-duty antibiotics. The pneumonia cleared up, but I came down with more ear infections and tonsilitis. I was prescribed additional strong antibiotics. The infections cleared up but I came down with a new problem called "Tinnitus". This affliction affects about 50 million people in the United States alone!  With tinnitus, the brain perceives sound where there is none. There are different levels of tinnitus. It can be very debilitating and chronic. There is no cure for this condition. About the middle of this past February, my tinnitus got worse and I started having muscle spasms and vibrating sensations in my brain. My doctors ran all kinds of medical tests to rule out things like a tumor.  The tests revealed that my jugular veins were too narrow. I was informed that this might be obstructing the blood flow to my brain, causing my tinnitus.  However, my doctors then decided that this was not the case. They really don't know what the cause is. The tinnitus causes me to have very bad headaches that last many hours and also cause intermittent pain in my ears.  Stem cell therapy is a very new treatment for tinnitus. There are only two doctors in the world that perform stem cell therapy for tinnitus. One doctor is in Florida and the other is in Switzerland. They do not use stem cells from aborted babies, but the body's own stem cells. I heard from the staff of the doctor in Florida and hope to be able to receive stem cell therapy. I need prayer that this stem cell therapy will be right for me and successful.  It can be costly and is not covered by insurance. I am sharing all this information as a way to educate my parish family about tinnitus. I ask everyone to pray for all those who suffer from tinnitus and/or Crohn's and that a cure may be found for both someday. I also ask that everyone please help the families of Lorelei Truett, Joseph Shramko, and the Bieszad family with their financial expenses. Please continue praying for them and all of those on the Pray for Us list. 

I want to thank you and everyone at the parish for your prayers!  I miss you guys! I feel a lot of sadness that I am not able to serve... To my altar co-servers:  I miss you! And may God bless you! 

Update 8/14/21:  Frank is working on scheduling a virtual consultation with a doctor in Florida who uses stem cell therapy to help patients who suffer from tinnitus. During this consultation, they will determine if he is a candidate for stem cell therapy. Please pray that if God wills it, the consultation will be scheduled and the doctor will be able to help Frank. Please also pray that the medication Frank's neurologist gave him recently will help calm nerve endings in the body, and thereby alleviate the tinnitus. Frank sends his love and regard for everyone in the parish. Thank you for all your prayers!

Update 9/27/21:  Frank Villegas and his wife Jerry recently suffered from COVID-19. They did not have to be hospitalized, and they recovered. Thank you for your prayers. Also, Frank has not yet heard from the doctor in Florida about a consultation for his tinnitus. He asks for your prayers that the he will be able to speak with the doctor soon.  

Update 10/16/21:  Both the doctors Frank is hoping to consult with are backed up because of the pandemic. In the mean time, his local doctor has given him some medication that is providing some relief. Please pray for grace and strength to withstand the suffering and the difficult wait for help, in the hope of returning to ministry at the Basilica. Please also pray for his wife Jerry as she walks this journey with him. Frank would appreciate some direct contact from fellow parishioners as he is really struggling. Please contact him if you would like to offer some spiritual support.

Update 1/6/22:  After nearly a year of waiting, Frank has finally gotten scheduled for a consultation with a specialist in Florida for January 11, 2022. He asks for prayers that his flight will not be canceled and that this long-awaited expert doctor will be able to help him. 

Update from Frank 1/13/22: "When they ran medical tests on me, they discovered that I have a Eustachian tube dysfunction. A Eustachian is a small passageway that runs between the middle ear and upper throat. If it becomes blocked the air pressure in the ear builds up with changes in the barometric pressure. A blocked Eustachian tube will cause pain, tinnitus, and popping sensation, all of which I have. What they propose doing is a balloon dilation. With this procedure a small balloon is inserted through the nose and into the Eustachian tube and inflated thus opening the Eustachian tube.  They did find that I have hearing loss in both ears at high frequencies which contributes to my tinnitus. To make sure that the tinnitus issue is addressed they do recommend that the stem cell therapy be done. Basically, they harvest 20 ccs of stem cells and inject 1 cc into to each ear drum of the ears. The remaining stem cells are injected back into the bloodstream....

"I was so happy to finally have an answer to what has been causing my tinnitus problem. I thank God for leading me to the doctor who can help me. I still have to have blood work done to confirm that I am a good candidate for the stem cell treatment. So, I need prayers that all goes well and I can start my procedures soon."

Update from Frank 2/21/22:  "My Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation is scheduled for March the 18th and my insurance will cover the cost. Thanks be to God....Give my regards and love to everyone there at the church."

Update 3/17/22:  Frank's Eustachian Tube Dilation surgery will be at 9am tomorrow (March 18). It will take at least one month to see if the procedure was a success, and it will take at least two months to recover from the procedure. Frank and his wife, Jerry, are asking for prayers that the procedure will take care of the problem. If needed, the next step would be Stem Cell Therapy. As always, Frank sends his love to the Basilica Parish Family.

Update from Frank 6/30/22:  "I am still having the tinnitus but not as intense as it was before. My ENT informed me that there is swelling in my Eustachian Tubes that still need to heal for the next several weeks. I will be having another follow-up with him at that time to see if there has been more improvement and to determine if I will need to go through with stem cell therapy.  I want to thank everyone for their continued prayers."

Update 9/21/22:  Frank is having a little more improvement of his tinnitus. He expects to be scheduling an ear exam to help determine whether to go forward with the stem cell therapy for the tinnitus. Please continue to pray for Frank during this extended trial. 

How to Contact Frank

Frank appreciates staying connected with fellow parishioners. If you would like to send him a note of encouragement or give him a call, contact the parish office for his mailing address and phone number. Or you can email him at:  [email protected] 

Intercessory Prayer for Frank

Several saints are known as powerful intercessors for those suffering from headaches. Here are a couple of suggested prayers to offer for Frank.

Saint Denis

O God, Who conferred Your saving Faith on the people of France through Your holy bishop and martyr Denis, and did glorify him before and after his martyrdom by many miracles. Grant us, through his intercession, that the Faith practiced and preached by him may be our light on the way of life, so that we may be preserved from all anxieties of conscience, and if by human frailty we have sinned, we may return to You speedily by true penance. Moreover, I beseech You to graciously grant me, through the merits and intercession of this powerful Helper, the petition which through them I humbly place before You, devoutly saying, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

Saint Teresa of Avila

O blessed St. Teresa of Avila, patron saint of headache sufferers, look kindly upon (name person) and all who suffer and endure pain in the head. Pray for them before your beloved and plead with Him to take away their pain if that be His holy will. If not, along with you, may they join their pain to His own for the salvation of souls. Amen. 
-Written by Ann Fitch

Photos

Frank served as cross bearer at our Candlemas procession on Feb. 2, 2021






Frank went on a hike with his fellow Altar Servers in September 2020