<\/p>\n
James Gardner is facing terminal liver failure after years of living and treating a skin condition that he said developed from exposure to certain chemicals in his work as a precast concrete specialist. Gardner is unable to work due to his illness and has struggled to gain disability benefits<\/p>\n
Amanda McCoy<\/p>\n
FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM<\/p>\n
After leaving Oklahoma, James Gardner built a life for himself in Fort Worth. Now, he could lose it all.<\/p>\n
When Gardner walks into doctor\u2019s offices to receive treatment for his terminal liver failure, he has to ask staff to remove all the air fresheners for his skin condition.<\/p>\n
Gardner has multiple chemical sensitivity, which he says was caused by his time as a concrete specialist working with two-part epoxy resin. The illness causes him to break out anytime he gets around chemicals. Air fresheners, perfumes, cleaning supplies and paint spark allergy flare-ups that can last for 10 days.<\/p>\n
Concrete work is known to cause health problems. Cement plants can also cause respiratory or cardiovascular issues, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.<\/a><\/p>\n Gardner, a Kiowa, enjoys spending time by the lake to go fishing and hiking, activities he says remind him of home in Bethany, Oklahoma.<\/p>\n Gardner has three sons, twins who just turned 18, and one who is 14. At one point, he homeschooled his children because they were increasingly getting sick, causing Gardner to also fall ill.<\/p>\n James Quigg first met Gardner in high school in Oklahoma, where he was given the nickname \u201cNDN\u201d after enduring bullying for being Native American, and kids calling him \u201cIndian\u201d. A few of Gardner\u2019s friends started calling him \u201cNDN\u201d and it stuck.<\/p>\n Now, Quigg started a GoFundMe<\/a> to help prevent Gardner from losing his house, as he is unable to work and has faced challenges receiving disability.<\/p>\n \u201cI love it. I want the awareness to be out there,\u201d Gardner said.<\/p>\n Garnder was denied disability the first two times he applied for it. It wasn\u2019t until his third application that he was approved, because of his internal organs shutting down.<\/p>\n \u201cWe still joke, even when we\u2019re talking about death,\u201d Quigg said, adding that Gardner is always positive and funny, despite a terminal diagnosis.<\/p>\n Quigg said it is Gardner\u2019s caring personality that sticks out to him most. Quigg once had a leak in his house that needed to be repaired. Without hesitation, Gardner stepped in to help, despite the fact that the paint and adhesives made his body swell and blister the following day.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll help you with anything with no expectation of getting anything out of it, other than just having a good time and just helping out people,\u201d Quigg said.<\/p>\n To get his mind off of his diagnosis, Gardner enjoys reading, specifically engineering books. During his career as a concrete specialist, he was able to help write a manual about concrete variables.<\/p>\n Throughout his illness, Gardner\u2019s friends have shown up to help him in various ways, such as mowing his lawn, cooking and delivering groceries.<\/p>\n \u201cMy family model that I was raised on is to help, no questions asked.\u201d Gardner said. \u201cYou do what you can as long as you can, and I\u2019m starting to see all that I put out there coming back,\u201d Gardner said.<\/p>\n This story was originally published September 18, 2026 at 5:00 AM.<\/p>\n James Gardner is facing terminal liver failure after years of living and treating a skin condition that he said developed from exposure to certain chemicals in his work as a precast concrete specialist. Gardner is unable to work due to his illness and has struggled to gain disability benefits Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM <\/p>\n
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