A Cry For Help For Jess

Things have significantly worsened for Jessica, and we are urgently seeking your support. Jessica’s condition is still incurable and has recently become inoperable. Her rare medical condition, Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2), causes tumours to grow relentlessly on her brain and spine, strangling her nerve functions. Over the years, Jess has endured countless major surgeries to remove the most debilitating tumours. Tragically, her most significant brain tumour is now untreatable in Australia, but we are exploring every possible medical option for a chance at hope.

"Hi, my name is Jess Lawrence I am 24, living with a rare genetic disorder, known as neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), causing dozens of tumours growing in my brain, spinal cord, under the skin and the nerves throughout my body. The grim discovery of this diagnosis in 2014 was totally unexpected after results from a routine MRI scan, to confirm my diagnosis of narcolepsy (that causes me to sleep all the time without medication) revealed a dire reality for me at 14 years of age. Two unmistakable tumours occupied either side of my brain stem, proven to be markers of the exceedingly rare genetic disorder NF2."

"Before I could even begin to process the severity and urgency of my situation, I was surrounded by doctors and specialists, outlining the urgency for a spinal operation to remove a tumour that threatened to paralyse me. It was the first time I had to relearn how to walk, eat and drink and it wouldn’t be the last."

Jessica is now completely deaf, mostly mute, and her vision continues to decline. She relies on a feeding tube for nourishment and is fully dependent on a wheelchair. Having spent nearly half of the past five years in hospitals and care facilities, Jessica's greatest wish is to remain at home with her family, surrounded by love and comfort.

NDIS covers only a portion of the enormous ongoing expenses, and the costs of medicines, lung machines, feeding tube supplies, 24/7 nursing care, mental health support, chemotherapy, and other essential treatments are mounting into tens of thousands of dollars.

"To say the diagnosis has taken a toll on myself and my family is an understatement. And I say ‘we’ because my family and I are in all of this together. Operations, complications, a stroke, rehabilitation, and ongoing treatment, they will drop everything for me in an instant and I can’t express how grateful and lucky I am to have them and such a wonderful support network."

We are calling on you to open your hearts and help Jess in her fight. Every donation, no matter the size, helps to fund the care, treatment, and hope that Jessica so desperately needs.

Please join us in giving Jessica the chance to spend more time at home, surrounded by family and love, and to see another sunny day.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

"To help deal with the magnitude of my medical debts, ongoing treatments/support and the cost of extremely expensive medications, I am trying to raise enough money so I can live as normally as possible at home. It's thanks to your help, my goals of leading a normal life don't seem so distant anymore and for that I am so grateful."

Love Jess 

A trust fund has been set up for me with an independent trustee