Joy and Elizabeth

Hey everyone, I’m Jamie, Elizabeth and Joy’s sister. Joy has been a nurse for many years caring for others and now is in need of care herself. As many of you know, Joy recently had a very extensive craniotomy/brain surgery in Arizona on July 24th. Joy was diagnosed with a cavernous malformation on her brain stem almost 12 years ago. In February of this year, Joy had a third brain bleed. The last six months have consisted of recurrent debilitating stroke-like symptoms and multiple hospitalizations for Joy. On July 16th, she was hospitalized again for stroke-like symptoms. We now understand the malformation was in fact bleeding/oozing during these episodes.

The team at Memorial Hospital fought so graciously and were able to get Joy to Phoenix, Arizona where she received a curative surgery/craniotomy for this. The surgeon was able to completely remove the malformation. We are incredibly grateful for how far Joy had come, but she has a long road ahead. Joy will be transferred to acute inpatient rehab in Arizona tomorrow!! While this is such a blessing, the financial stressors are weighing heavy on Joy, Elizabeth, and their family. At this time, their insurance is unwilling to pay in-network coverage for rehab in Arizona. The insurance also denied any sort of coverage or option to get Joy home via med flight. Commercial flight was not an option as Joy is not walking on her own or strong enough to fly, this was also not recommended by the medical team in Arizona. With that being said, Joy and Elizabeth are responsible for between $30,000 and $35,000 out of pocket expense to cover her rehab stay.

They would never ask for this on their own. We are so thankful for any contribution to this. Joy is so loved and we are so thankful for that. Our hope is to not put their family in a terrible financial position because of this. Receiving adequate healthcare should never have to come down to money, but we know it always does. We thank you all for the love and prayers during this time. We are so grateful Joy, Elizabeth, and the kids have so many people who love and support them. Thank you guys.

An update from Elizabeth:

Hey everyone, it has been a bit since I last updated. Thank you everyone for the love and prayers for Joy and our family. I really do not know where we would be without our support.

Joy is moving forward everyday. She is growing stronger, more aware, and her speech is improving. De Conover was so gracious to fly out and spend a few days with Joy. Joy’s dad (Bill) is there now thankfully. Jamie Juanico and Joy’s Mom (Faye)have done an amazing job keeping the boys happy, safe, and managing day to day life in our absence. I flew home Sunday to be with the kids and will likely go back to Arizona next week.

Joy is now walking 1,000+ ft with assistance of therapy, her core is strengthening-therefore she is able to sit herself up much better, and she is standing and moving more easily supporting her own weight. She will begin working with robotics with the therapists where she will be placed in a robotic suit that will walk for her-to show her how it feels to walk in her own again, trigger muscle memory, and help target those pathways in her brain.

She is relearning how to do things such as laundry, caring for herself (like hygiene and such), and doing a lot of work with OT with her vision.

Speech is really focusing on cognitive therapies to help improve this aspect in addition to her clarity of speech. She had another swallow study today and her diet has been advanced to a regular diet, she is now able to eat solid foods..which I know she is happy about.

She is definitely more aware of her own surroundings and who she is. Her personality we all love so much is shining through. Her speech is more clear and sentences are becoming more in depth/complex. She is able to engage more during conversation and holding them longer. She is understanding SO much more.

She is also doing recreational therapy where she will be able to go to a restaurant and order her own food, go to the cafeteria to order her own coffee, pay, etc. to reintegrate her back into day to day life. Also, therapy will be bringing her to a farm in Arizona to have her brush and saddle a horse. Many of you know over the last several months the boys have been participating in rodeo and this has been something we have enjoyed doing as a family. Thank you De for telling the therapist about this because I know it will be so good for her.

Everyday is truly better than the last. She is working her butt off and fighting so hard everyday.

This may not seem like much to some. If you would have told me a month ago this is where she would be, I would lose it honestly. This has been one of the hardest things we have ever been through. The boys are incredibly resilient and optimistic-I’m so thankful for that. They are ready to have their Mama home. To watch my person, my best friend go through this..has been incredibly difficult. I feel like half of my soul is missing. But, Joy is special. She is the strongest and most resilient person I know. She is just a genuinely good person and makes the world a better place. She is going to get through this, just as she has pushed through so many trials in her life. I know with every fiber of my being we will have her back. It’s just going to take a lot of time, and that’s ok. The doctors, therapists, and each provider Joy has encountered have given us hope that we will have her back...in time.

We love you guys, so much. Please keep praying for Joy and our family. Thank you.