Benefit set to aid deputy stricken with mystery ailment

SANDPOINT — Seven months ago, 42-year-old Jim Cruse Jr. was one of those fortunate people who was rarely ill.

He did not have so much as a headache.

In fact, he had the kind of life that lends itself to the admiration of others — his health, a dream job, a wife he loves, two grown sons fresh out of the nest, membership in Northside Christian Fellowship church and involvement in a plethora of hobbies, including blacksmithing and reading.

Cruse and his wife Cari, a stay-at-home mom and part-time graphic artist, have been happily married more years than both can remember — 20 plus, they say. One son, Aaron, is a senior at the University of Idaho, while their other son, Justin, is finishing Navy submarine school.

After serving a two-year stint as a Bonner County Sheriff’s Office reserve officer, Cruse was hired as a full-time BCSO deputy in 2002. In 2006, he also became a member of the department’s dive team.

Then in June, Cruse came down with a blinding headache in the right side of his skull that lasted for two days.

The next headache returned a month later, lasting a week.

In August, the pain came back, forcing Cruse to take a week off work after it persisted for two weeks.

By September, the headache became incessant and he began experiencing other neurological problems including feeling off balance, being dizzy, ringing in his ears, fluctuation in his hearing, extreme fatigue, and brain fog that not only makes him feel disconnected, but also requires more effort and time for him to process thoughts.

“September first hit and I was gone, I was done for,” Cruse said.

At that point, he could no longer work.

He was placed on administrative leave. Co-workers donated their sick days for him and the Bonner County commissioners have made arrangements so Cruse can keep his medical insurance through June. Idaho State Police and Idaho Fish and Game officers also have offered to donate their sick bank days to him.

But Cruse is now without an income. 

Compounding the problem is that the Cruses have no idea what is causing Jim’s medical problems.

And without a diagnosis, he cannot file for Social Security disability, or more to Cruse’s liking, find an answer, correct the problem and return to work.

Getting a diagnosis has been frustrating and time consuming, Cari Cruse said.

He has been examined by doctors and specialists, but the only thing they have discovered is an enlarged vein running on the right top side of his brain. Although the vein is considered an unlikely culprit, it has not been ruled out.

Parkinson’s disease also has been ruled out, however similar disorders have not.

A neurologist prescribed medications that Cruse quit taking. “It was just like being lobotomized,” he said. The medication made it difficult him to distinguish whether certain symptoms were caused by the medicine or his illness.

Cruse no longer takes any medication, preferring to cope with the symptoms as best as he can.

Keeping his eyes open for any length of time is difficult and Cruse frequently closes them when he speaks.

He also needs to rest his head often because his neck muscles tire easily. Fortunately, in the early days of his illness someone responded to a request from Cari and loaned them a recliner chair made for a large person that easily accommodates her husband, she said.

An appointment with a physician at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle shed nothing on his problems. The doctor spent 20 minutes with him and did not order any tests.

Since then, Cruse was referred to a neurologist at the Rockwood Clinic in Spokane. The doctor spent an hour and a half with him and ordered a whole battery of tests. So far, the tests have all come back clear.

Except one — a $20,000 genetic test that they are still waiting to receive the results for because it takes awhile to get the results from this particular test.

“Godwilling, we’ll get an answer,” Cruse said.

In the meantime, Jim’s co-workers have dipped into their own pockets to help the family. The couple, who live in Samuels, have a woodshed stuff full of wood because relatives, deputies, dispatchers, church members, veterans and others have helped fill it.

These same people also have assisted them by preparing meals, assisting them with travel costs for medical visits, purchasing household supplies and groceries, along with calls and e-mails offering support.

Those same friends are now organizing a fundraiser to help the Cruses with living expenses. (See sidebar for information).

As Cruse searches for answers, he is not content to just deal with the pain or do nothing while he is not working.

He has turned to his hobbies and his knack for detail by putting together models and World War II dioramas, along with cooking from scratch. Cruse now has to limit one of his other hobbies — reading — although the couple continues a tradition of reading out loud to one another that they started when their children were small.

“I’d like to know if I have 6 months,” Cruise said, opening his startlingly dark blue eyes and smiling.

“I have a list of things to do.”

How to help

SANDPOINT — A fundraiser to help Bonner County Sheriff’s Office deputy Jim Cruse Jr. and his wife Cari with living expenses is set for 6 p.m.,  Friday Jan. 22.

Cruse has been unable to work since September because of an undiagnosed illness.

The event, which includes a dinner and auction, will take place at the Ponderay Events Center.

Anyone interested in donating an item for the auction can contact the sheriff’s office, 263-8417.

It is being hosted by Idaho Panhandle Lodge No. 15 of the Fraternal Order of Police, the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office and the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office Guild.