Column | Vail Valley Charitable Fund: Not always what you expected

As we go through life as young, healthy adults, we tend to expect things to continue as “normal.” But sometimes that normal is challenged in ways we never anticipate. That is what 2025 was like for me.

Beginning on January 3, I was challenged to my core by severe back pain that ultimately left me unable to work for nine months of the year.

The year before had been a good one. In 2024, I decided to close my successful high-end window and door installation business after 16 years so I could spend more time at home with my wife and my daughter, who was preparing to enter middle school. I wanted to be more present and involved with my family.

But those expectations quickly changed. My first injection had to be stopped midway through and rescheduled, and the rest of the year followed a similar pattern of setbacks and complications. The year was ultimately capped by the passing of my mom the day after Christmas. I was more than ready for 2025 to end.

You might think it was just back pain. I had dealt with back pain before and was usually back on my feet after a few days of rest. This time was different. My body and circumstances would not allow me to simply “get back to it,” even though I expected that I would.

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When surgery became necessary, I believed that it would solve everything. Instead, I contracted a post-operative infection, and the pain from that infection was even worse than the surgery or the original injury. It was, simply put, excruciating.

Before the year was over, I had endured six injections, three rounds of antibiotics, two ambulance trips to emergency rooms, a medical transport from Denver to my home in Gypsum, two back surgeries, and two additional surgeries to remove post-operative infections.

Throughout it all, the mental and emotional toll was just as challenging as the physical pain. Without the support of my family, my community, my faith, and the Vail Valley Charitable Fund, things could have turned out very differently.

As I enter 2026, I do so with deep gratitude and appreciation that will carry me for the next 52 years. Because of this support, my family was able to stay in our home despite nine months without work, and I was able to focus on healing instead of financial stress.

My hope now is simple: to one day give back and support someone else in their time of need, just as the Vail Valley Charitable Fund supported my family and me when we needed it most.

Thank you, Vail Valley Charitable Fund, for being there in our time of need.

Jesse Terrell is a Vail Valley Charitable Fund grant recipient.