Please Help Triplets Who Have Suffered Too Much

We’d like to make a plea for help for our sister’s children. After a shocking diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, and a rapid decline, our sister Jonnelle Marra-Ingber died 3 weeks later on July 30, 2021. She was a single mother who left behind a 23yo daughter Johnni as well as 12yo triplets Brian, Jaxon, and Addison who were born premature with cerebral palsy. The triplets are currently in the care of their sister, who is naturally overwhelmed. As they embark on an uncertain future without their mother, the cost of the funeral and the ongoing costs of the triplets’ medical care, in addition to the costs of living, are sending us all into a panic. Their handicap requires them to travel two hours to NYC to see their doctors for appointments, surgeries, and physical therapy. Costs such as gas, tolls, and parking add up quickly. The kids will experience their 1st birthday without their mother on September 6th and their first day of school shortly after. There is only so much we can do alone. Your help would mean so much to us and everything to these kids.

Here is their story.

Jonnelle was experiencing pain in her legs so severe, she went to the emergency room. This alone raised flags for those who knew her and her high tolerance for pain. It was July 1st, 2021, and with 4 kids and a busy summer ahead, this was a hiccup she hoped would be minor. The pain was found to be from blood clots which even led to a minor stroke that was thankfully treated right there in the ER. Aside from the leg pain, she felt fine, and was understandably distraught to have to be admitted to the hospital. Her mind was at home, with her 12-year-old triplets, Brian, Jaxon, and Addison, and her 23-year-old daughter Johnni.

During her 8 days in the hospital, while the doctors put her through what she deemed, “…every medical test known to mankind,” her family and friends grew more and more worried. Information was slow and fragmented. “Found a mass on pancreas waiting on biopsy…” “Tests confirm mass is malignant…” “Found spots on other organs…” “Inoperable, waiting for treatment plan…” With each new development, we desperately clung to hope that there would be word it was all a mistake. A clerical error. We hoped for a break in the clouds, at least. She was all alone in that hospital when the doctors gave her the devastating news that she had pancreatic cancer. All she could think of was how she wanted to get home to her kids.

The triplets were born with cerebral palsy at 30 weeks gestation, weighing just 3 pounds each. They have all been under constant medical care including surgeries which are still ongoing, countless appointments, treatments, and physical therapy.

When the triplets were born, Jonnelle was told Jaxon would never walk or talk. But he defeated the odds and the doctor called him a “miracle baby.” Jonnelle put everything she had into making sure the triplets received the best medical care New York City had to offer. She was all consumed with their appointments and progress. Thanks to Jonnelle’s fierce devotion, all three have exceeded what anyone expected, including the doctors.

And now more doctors were delivering her yet another grim reality. She received a prognosis of a life expectancy of 2-4 months with no treatment and 12-14 months with chemotherapy. Naturally, she chose to fight for as much time as she could have with her children. She knew all too well how precious time with her children was.

Jonnelle still felt the ache of the loss of her eldest daughter, Jerica, as if a moment had passed, rather than a decade. That sudden, tragic loss took this family to the depths of sadness. A sadness that Jonnelle had to endure while caring for triplet toddlers with special needs. Johnni then, around the age of the triplets now, not only lost her big sister, but had to watch a piece of her mother slip away to grief.

As Johnni sat by her mother’s bedside on July 9th, just before Jonnelle was released from the hospital, she listened to the devastating prognosis and treatment plan. They learned about the agonizing side effects of chemo, and they understood the road ahead. They shared the plan with family and friends.

The following weekend, Jonnelle’s siblings, nieces and nephews, and her mom met her and her kids in their hometown of Batavia, NY to take a family photo. As this story’s solitary stroke of luck, that was all planned before she received any of this devastating news. Since they were coming from near and far, it was rare for them to all be in the same place. The photo was to be a gift for Jonnelle’s mother. That time spent was the real gift. And the photo has become a treasure for the entire family.

During her visit, her family and friends set up a calendar to coordinate visits and make sure that she and her kids were never alone. Johnni, at 23, is a remarkable young woman. But it would be unfathomable to expect her to be the sole caregiver for the triplets and a mother undergoing chemo. Since they live upwards of four hours away by car, Jonnelle’s village prepared to stagger the troops to make sure she and her kids were attended.

Once the plans were set in place, and after having a nice weekend spent with family and friends, she returned home to Fallsburg, NY to receive her first chemo treatment on July 22nd. Everything was going as planned until July 29th when she went in for lab work.

See, while she was spending precious time with family planning her fight against this silent killer, the cancer was aggressively working its evil. They found a mass on her stomach and another blood clot. Her heart rate was elevated, so she was admitted into the hospital again. In the early morning of July 30, Jonnelle suddenly passed, just 3 shorts weeks after her diagnosis.

And just like that, Johnni, at just 23 years old, will now become primary caregiver for her 12-year-old siblings. She will be responsible for their care including medical expenses and daily expenses and needs.

The triplets will shortly experience their first birthday without their mother on September 6th. And the first start of a new school year. And all the many costs anticipated and unknown, financial and emotional, that are sure to follow are attacking just as fast as the cancer.

We want to be able to continue the best care for all Jonnelle‘s children. When people talk about a certain member of their family being the “glue,” the person responsible, by virtue, of holding everything together, this is exactly how we’d describe Jonnelle. As any of us, and especially her kids, could tell you, she was the strongest and most selfless person we’d ever been lucky enough to know. Nothing can replace their mother or what they lost, but hoping if we all give a little, we can give them a fighting chance at the future Jonnelle worked so hard to ensure. This family needs all the love and kindness the world has to spare. At the very least, they need an end to the deluge of hardship. Even if you are unable to donate, taking just a moment to share their story could prove just as helpful. Thank you for taking the time to read.