Thursday, October 22, 2009

What is LOVE?


Love to all,

TO VIEW JESSICA ON FOX TV - CLICK ON LINK:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW_vstm0bS8


*****UPCOMING FUNDRAISER FOR JESSICA*****

Princess House Fundraiser For Jessica's Journey
This Saturday - October 24th - 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Indigo Lakes Clubhouse - Naples, Fl. 34119
RSVP - Carol Biron - (239)304-7589
or e-mail: cbiron123@aol.com
Donations can also be made to: Jessica's Journey Savings Club
And sent to: Carol Biron-14505 Indigo Lakes Circle-Naples, Fl.34119
*************************************************

Jessica is currently off of antibiotics, but remains on an IV anti-fungal medication for an infection. She is still experiencing the same problems with her vision, but we are faithful in prayer that it will be restored to her, and that the "static vision" will be gone! She continues to be able to have more movement in the left leg and a little muscle twitching in the upper part of the right leg! This happened after she received her ketamine booster two days ago! Dr. "Green Shirt" (aka Cantu) said she may receive another one today!
We ask for continued prayers for her eyes and for more movements in the legs! And also, for her headaches that have not been able to go away yet!

I thought I would talk about what Love is. In the bible in I Corinthians Chap 13, it talks about love and it goes on to say that of these three - Faith, Hope & Love - the greatest of these is LOVE!!! I came up with this for what Love is:

Learning
Our
Value
Everyday

I think if we learn to love one another we can be happy. It's as simple and as difficult as that. Love comes in many different forms. The love of your mother is the first "real" love you feel when you come into the world. It is like no other, besides that of the love of God. Then, as your life goes on, you acquire different types of love. The love of your father, your sister, your brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles; the love of your family. Even after that, you then obtain love from friends, neighbors, church and even strangers and pets! And then, even later, you are blessed with the love of a husband or a wife! With all these "loves" you realize thru them what you are worth to them and their worth to you as well! As a famous person, Franklin P. Jones once said: " Love doesn't make the world go round --- Love is what makes the ride worthwhile!!!

So today, we send our love out to you all of you! May the love you give out come back to you in abundance! As it says in Hebrews Chap. 11 - "...abundance as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore."

In God's Love, always,
Jessica's Mom

***To post a comment, CLICK on Comments below***

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi'ya Girls,

SOOOO happy to here the K boosters are back! Now more miracles can begin.....YAHOOOOOO! I just know in my heart you will be bloggin all about the good stuff coming for Jessica.
Looking forward to the fundraiser on Saturday.A wonderful group of VERY caring people!
Peace be with you,
Jodi XOX

Nancy said...

Yes...."ALL we need is LOVE....da da da da dah!!" With that brings all the rest of the GOOD STUFF!

God loves Jessica's eyes! I remember seeing her eyes open wide during Ketamine Booster #1. How beautiful and deep with love they are. We see with our heart and that is why Jessica is going to be one of the most amazing doctors ever! God has given her the vision of what people could be suffering so that she can help them through it... just as you are helping your child through this too Sarah Gina.

Love surrounds you in Room 844 from all the hearts of all the people you mention in your LOVE STORY!

Thanks for the love!
Nancy and family

Anonymous said...

Great News! We are so happy to hear you are seeing improvements and that the boosters have been resumed.

May He continue to heal your sweet Jessica!

With love & prayers,
The Turners


Jessica's Journey to Getting Her Life Back

By Sarah Gina (Jessica's Mom)


As we begin this journey toward renewed health we would like to express our sincere heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick and all the work he has done and continues to do in order to bring patients like my daughter Jessica back to a more meaningful life and restored from this devastating illness. Also, special thanks to Dr. Fernando Cantu and his team of doctors in Mexico for taking on a difficult case like my daughters, Words cannot express the renewed sense of hope that we have that one day, our Jessica, can regain her life that has been taken away from her – God Bless you all!

Jessica’s Story

Once an A+ student who loved school, was involved in many extracurricular activities, played varsity tennis, lacrosse and gymnastics and enjoyed spending time with her family and friends, our daughter Jessica has spent the last 3 years incapacitated, paralyzed, unable to sit or walk and eat. She spends her days confined to a hospital bed, wearing sunglasses and noise-canceling headphones, due to severe light and sound sensitivity.

Jessica and her sisters, 2 mos. before becoming ill

The pain she feels is indescribable and all attempted treatments have not even come close to relieving her suffering.

She has seen many doctors, undergone numerous painful tests and procedures, has been prescribed various medications, and has been hospitalized frequently including being intubated and on a ventilator. She is severely debilitated and currently is only 92 pounds. This is certainly no life for a 21 year old young woman!


Jessica is suffering from neurologic Lyme disease and Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), a severely debilitating and painful neuromuscular disorder. She suffers daily with constant sharp, stabbing, tingling and burning pain; throughout her body; severe headaches; paralysis; intense muscle spasms; gastroparesis; seizures; twisting of her limbs (dystonia); sensitivity to any touch (allodynia); extreme sensitivity to lights and sounds; excessive sweating; swelling; fevers; softening of bones; decreased hair growth; redness and discoloration of the limbs; and painful skin ulcers. The pain is constant and unrelenting, but despite her suffering, her faith in God remains and she still has hope for her future.

Jessica's painful skin lesions

Jessica's journey began in 1999, when she was only 11 years old. She became very ill with Mono and was bed bound for 3 months. She subsequently developed RSD (stage 1) of the lower right leg. She received early intervention and returned to playing sports and enjoying her life.

Jessica, age 15, at summer camp

Four years later, in 2003, while away at a sleep-away camp, she developed a rash behind her right knee, coincidentally in the same leg that previously had RSD!

At the time, the camps nurse & doctor told her that it was “duck rash” – a rash from swimming in the lake with duck feces. However, Jessica was able to obtain photos from camp from another camper which shows the classic “bulls-eye” rash from Lyme disease! It wasn’t until much later and only after developing symptoms and becoming very ill, was the diagnosis of Lyme disease and Babesiosis (another tick-borne infection) made.


Most people (and doctors!) have no idea how serious Lyme disease can become and no clue how to properly diagnose it. Unfortunately, if she would have been promptly diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease, the RSD would not have been triggered and she would not be suffering.

July 2003, Jessica's Lyme disease rash

If it wasn’t for her doctor, Dr. Liegner, and his expertise with complex cases of Lyme, and his determination to try any means in getting her well, by getting a “team” of doctors on her case, we wouldn’t be here today, still fighting. We owe him a deep sense of gratitude for all he does for Jessica!

During these past three years and with the pain becoming more intense and unbearable she has been seeing Dr. Finkelstein for pain management. He has even made house calls to spare her the pain of coming by ambulance to his office. Jessica has been treated with multiple pain medications, at the highest possible doses, as well as an implanted dilaudid pain pump, which delivers potent medication straight into her spine. Many doctors have told us that with the amount of medications Jessica was taking would be enough to “kill a horse”—yet they had little to no effect on her. If it wasn’t for Dr. Finkelstein trying to alleviate her constant, severe, unrelenting pain, I don’t know how she would have managed. He is very special to us as well.

Recently Jessica was transported by air ambulance to Tampa, Florida to see Dr. Anthony Kirkpatrick, a world renowned RSD expert. Dr. Kirkpatrick told us that Jessica is one of the most debilitated patients he has ever seen.

Jessica getting into the air-ambulance to go see Dr. Kirkpatrick

Upon his testing and because Jessica's condition is so severe, Dr. Kirkpatrick is recommending the only treatment available that can possibly help relieve her suffering, and afford her some semblance of a “normal” life - the Ketamine Coma Procedure - a clinical trial that is being conducted in Monterrey, Mexico.

During this procedure Jessica will be put into a coma , with the hope that her nerves, brain and spinal cord will “reset” -so that her nervous system sends the correct signals to her brain.


Yes, this is a radical, scary treatment, however, for Jessica, "scary" is thinking that she could spend the rest of her life in this condition, unable to walk, eat, or take care of herself. Since all reasonable treatments have failed to help her, we feel we must try everything possible to help Jessica regain her life.

We understand that due to Jessica’s fragile condition, there is a high risk associated with this procedure. We are also aware that other patients with severe RSD like Jessica's have had success.

Jessica’s goal is to one day become a doctor. Our hope is that with this study she can have that chance. As her Mom, I know that she will be a great doctor because when a patient presents in her office and says “Doctor, I am in pain and words cannot express how bad it is” – my daughter –Dr. Jessica– will be able to say - :I know how you feel, I’ve been there too. So, take a seat and let me tell you a story”….

We are so thankful and feel so blessed to have been led to Dr. Kirkpatrick.

God is good and with his help guiding Dr. Cantu and Dr. Kirkpatrick, our hope is for Jessica to be able to return to us whole again and pain-free!