Jess's Strength and The Road To Recovery

Jessica is many things. She is a friend, daughter, school teacher, and mother, but most importantly she is a wonderful human being. Two years ago, Jessica started having strong headaches everyday. When the pain became too much, she decided to seek treatment. After a long stay in the hospital away from her family, friends, and co-workers, she received news that would change her life forever. Jessica was diagnosed with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. Her MS disease was lesion based and lesions cannot be mended.

Unfortunately, this was not the worst of the news. Jessica had several different treatment modalities in search of one that would stop the progression of her MS. In two years the treatments have failed to stop the course of the disease. Jessica has lost her vision in one eye and is legally blind in the other. She is confined to a wheelchair and paralysis is still moving throughout her body rendering more of it unusable. She is in constant pain everyday and is on many different medications that have horrible side effects. But, even with all of that pain, she takes each day on with a smile and lives each moment for her two children, parents, and sister.

I guess this is where I tell you who Jessica is to me? Jessica is my daughter’s mother. Yes, that is how good of a person she is, her Ex-husband, co-parent, and friend is writing to the masses for help on Jessica’s behalf. At the present time, Jessica’s health insurance will not cover treatment through Mayo Clinic In Jacksonville. This is the top facility and the only hope for Jessica to get better. In order to qualify as a patient, she will have to pay out of pocket for treatment. Unfortunately, her MS has progressed to the point where she is no longer able to work and is forced to rely on good people like you to help.

I could write for an hour about how unfair life has been to Jessica. The mental strain she has endured, the relationships she’s lost because of this disease, and the absolute loss of liberty in her own body, to name a few, but Jessica wouldn’t want me to do that. She would rather smile and carry on to the next day. However, the facts are facts, without our help as a community, Jessica will not be able to get treatment at the Mayo Clinic. So let's give. Even if it is just a little. Be the change and help a person in need. If we all do a little, it will be a whole lot. Be a good person, just like Jessica Giran.