Jeana’s Road to Recovery: 25 Strokes at only 39

Hi. My name is Kimberly Martin (Wray). I have created this GoFundMe on behalf of my brother, Josh Wray and my sister-in-law, Jeana.

Over the past year and a half, my sister-in-law Jeana’s life has become fragile and has altered tremendously. At only 39 years old, she went from a full-time high school math teacher to facing over 25 strokes. Each stroke stole a piece of her memory, her eyesight, and the use of her right side. Losing these functions requires round-the-clock care, as she cannot feed herself, go to the bathroom unassisted, or simply navigate a room.

Here’s where it gets even tougher. Josh, my brother, has become her lifeline. He is there each day and night, caring for her, and helping her with anything imaginable. He researches therapies to maintain, and hopefully improve, Jeana’s cognitive and physical abilities. He put his career on hold to care for the woman he has lived an admirable life with for over 20 years. I have never witnessed such care with dignity, kindness, and compassion. Without an income for a year and a half, my brother has set his pride aside and let me know he and Jeana need financial assistance. They have exhausted their savings. The meager wage he makes answering phone calls from home, in between taking care of his wife’s needs, is not touching what is needed to simply live.

They moved to Texas this past summer to be closer to Jeana’s family. They have recently been denied state disability assistance, much to the shock of Jeana’s doctors, therapists, and loved ones. They are appealing the decision but that requires more time spent without financial support. Meanwhile, she still requires time-consuming and expensive therapies that determine her long-term quality of life. They are at immediate risk of losing their rental home and their only car. They need the internet for my brother to make the little money he’s making working from home. They need to maintain power and running water. They need to pay for the medications that are hopefully stopping the cluster strokes she has experienced so randomly. They are simply trying to keep their heads afloat as they go through a hardship that could have never been anticipated.

So, family and friends, we’re rallying. We’ve set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover housing, utilities, food, medical expenses, rehabilitation, and adaptive tools. Every dollar counts. We love to imagine her lighting up her classroom again someday. As of now, we are trying to keep a roof over their heads and appreciate all efforts to help that happen. Thank you so much for any donations, thoughts, and prayers.