“John is my best friend,” James said. “Getting this medicine could save his life. He could get a liver – my liver.”
On a recent fine October day, the brothers were walking around Middleton's house, discussing which trees needed pruning. He said his grass was getting too long. James promised that he would return this weekend to mow the lawn that Middleton could no longer handle.
They, along with their wives, dream of one day living on the same land and doing work together.
“If I can't get to Zichera and things don't go well, the chances of me surviving would be in the range of two to maybe six years,” Middleton said. “It's hard knowing my dogs will outlive me. I worry about my wife and mother.”
“I have a lot of people that I need to be here and take care of,” he said.
The day after this story was published on NBCNews.com and on “News Night with Tom Llamas,” Ziihera's manufacturer, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, said it would cover the cost of the drug for John Middleton through the company's JazzCares patient assistance program.
CORRECTION (Oct. 24, 2025, 8:50 a.m. ET): The photo caption in a previous version of this article misstated the name of Middleton's mother. She's Linda Middleton, not Lisa.
