Support Jody Paschke-Ohm's Fight Against AML

Hello all –

We’ve all been touched by Jody (Paschke) Ohm’s bright spirit, spot-on sense of humor, generosity, and light. Her wisdom, empathy, and natural way of putting others first is unique and has helped us during the most important moments of our lives - now it’s our opportunity to help her.

For the last few months, Jody hadn’t been feeling herself. In typical fashion, she plugged on through working hard at Direct Supply, supporting her team, hosting parties, entertaining friends and family, and celebrating life. At the end of September, while preparing to embark on a fun boat ride with friends, she had a bad vertigo episode, and fell hard injuring her leg. She spent the rest of the weekend resting her leg and preparing for another busy week. Through the course of the week, she became increasingly winded, tired, and extremely sore. The bruising got worse, and she was concerned about a blood clot. Her husband, Eric, took her to the ER at Froedtert where she stayed for a day undergoing multiple blood tests and scans. Sadly, she was diagnosed with AML – Acute Myeloid Leukemia - on top of existing health issues.

AML is an aggressive cancer so she was admitted that same night and told she wouldn’t be leaving the hospital for 30+ days.

Since then, Jody has had numerous blood transfusions, multiple rounds of chemo, bone marrow extractions, CT scans, and a slew of other tests. This week, doctors determined that the first round of chemo did not work, and they are proceeding with a bone marrow transplant, while continuing multiple rigorous treatments. This wasn't the news Jody, Eric, Lars, Leif, Hannah and Logan were expecting or hoping for, but she is tackling it every day with the radiance and resolve that only Jody can!

Jody’s care team is confident that they can find her a good match within the global database. For the many who have asked about donating bone marrow for Jody, the best thing to do is add yourself to the national registry by going entering your information at https://www.nmdp.org/get-involved/join-the-registry . The process is easy and involves a swab of the cheek.

We are creating this page to provide updates on Jody’s journey and create an easy way for her friends and family to connect in our mutual desire to support Jody and her family. She is expected to be out of work for at least seven months. Whether it be to donate money, send prayers, or share thoughts of encouragement, we’re hoping this is a helpful place for all. Jody and Eric are not in need of meals, and she cannot receive plants, flowers, etc. due to her condition. We all know this type of cancer requires rigorous and costly care that can result in a lifetime of medical bills. Our hope is we can help Jody focus on healing rather than worrying about the financial impact of treatment.

In times of fear, it’s easy to go to a place of darkness. But in typical Jody fashion, her bright smile and inner light still shines. Let’s help her keep the light.

Thanks for following along over these next several weeks and helping in any way you can. We look forward to staying connected to create a powerful community of support for healing and hope to help Jody during these hard times, as she would do, and always does for so many of us.

Sincerely,

Jennie Fox (longtime friend)

Emily Winter, Kate Harteau (longtime DS team members)