Blessings To All,
To view Jessica on Fox TV, Click on Link Below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW_vstm0bS8
Yesterday was an eventful day on the 8th floor of the Hospital San Jose Tec de Monterrey!
For Jessica, it was "seeing" everyone for the first time again. All the doctors and nurses are so happy for her and everyone is celebrating along with us. Dr. Cantu (aka Dr. "Green Shirt") received his present as well. You see, the deal here for the past three months with Jessica's vision problem was this: whichever doctor was the one to ultimately "restore" Jessica's eyesight, that doctor would receive a brand new pair of aviator sunglasses that we had brought with us from home. So, I wrapped them up to look like an early Christmas present and presented them to him! He loved them and said that the day that Jessica's eyesight returned was the happiest day he has had in the past six months! I could see a tear in his eye and for those of you who know me, my eyes were welling up as well! (I cry at movies, so you could imagine how THIS would affect me!) Thank you God for guiding Dr. Cantu - he is a special man! By the way, Jessica received a kiss from Dr. Cantu as well - what a lucky girl!!!
It was also a day that we welcomed back a fellow coma patient - Fern Kwantes and her husband Theo from Canada. Fern is back for 3 days of boosters and it was so good to see her again and to see how she is doing. Fern was here in October for the ketamine coma and she has kept in touch with us through e-mail, as well as with all of her lovely comments on the blog! Also, Justin Brown's family has arrived here for the Christmas holiday. His mom Joan and brother Chris arrived from Pennsylvania and it was good to catch up with them as well. When you go through the ketamine coma and because it is something that only @ 105 people have done so far, you do become an "extended" family due to your "shared" experiences in dealing with this terrible illness called RSD!!! I also heard from Cathy & Devon Emmanuel from Connecticut who left the hospital only recently. They were so excited about Jessica's vision returning and wanted to send their happiness to us as well. We miss them so much as she was Jessica's "coma buddy".
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Thank you all for all of your continued prayers for Jessica. Prayers are so very powerful! We look forward to more answered prayers; more "miracles" for her as well! We pray for everyone who is suffering with RSD, Lyme Disease, Cancer, Crohn's, and their own illnesses this Christmas season. May God bless you all with "pain-free", "illness-free" days in the upcoming new year!
Tomorrow I will blog a special Christmas message to everyone who is taking this journey - Jessica's Journey - with us!
Keep Christ in Christmas,
With love,
Jessica's Mom*
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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 illThe 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 lesionsJessica'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 campFour 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 rashDuring 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. KirkpatrickUpon 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!
8 comments:
1 Chronicles 4:9-11
9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, [a] saying, "I gave birth to him in pain." 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.
May God continue to bless your family and provide your sweet Jessica with complete healing! May you and your family have a sweet time during Christmas!
With love & prayers,
The Turners
Dearest Jessica and Gina, You both never cease to amaze me! That you could parlay the return of Jess's eyesight into a prize-winning situation is just wonderful! and yet so typical of the way you do things. I am sure that you, Gina, are a significant reason why all of the coma patients and their families feel like an extended family. The ice cream cake for Devon and the ketamine coma bears are just two of the things that come to mind. You are a living example of the fact that everyone has gifts that they bring to the world. Jess, by fighting against your illness with persistence and grace, you are providing a real example of amazing strength and faith to so many people you don't even know! Gina, you have the unusual ability to take difficult situations and shine a ray of sunshine into them! We are all so blessed to call you our friends. May God send you his choicest blessings and healing light during this sacred time and in the coming year. Love always, Angel
Today I received the most beautiful card that I would like to share with you.
WHAT WE FIND IN JESUS
We find peace, and the PRINCE OF PEACE.
We find righteousness, and the RIGHTEOUS ONE:
We find counsel, and the COUNSELOR;
We find wonders, and the WONDERFUL ONE;
We find Salvation, and the SAVIOUR;
We find the Kingdom, and the KING;
In Jesus, we find more gifts
than our hearts can ever imagine.
WISHING YOU A BLESSED CHRISTMAS
MaY 2010 bring Health, happiness and peace to the Stevens family and all you have helped them in any way.
Linda in Saratoga
Praise the Lord!!!! We've been praying so hard...so many of us and the Lord heard our cry and He answered...what an Awesome God!
Sara,we all just want to wish you, Jessica and your arriving family a Blessed Christmas and a bright New Year with all of God's best for your family, espcially Jessica. We will be thinking of all of you and as always, we continue to pray fervently. Jessica, we love you.
May the Lord bring you much peace and good health.
Love and Blessings always,
John, Angela, Ben, Dan & Michael
Just wanted to wish you ALL a Merry Christmas! It is so wonderful that you are ALL together for Christmas and that Jessica can SEE your ALL!
We will keep praying for more miracles and completely healing for your sweet Jessica!
May God richly bless you and your family with ALL blessings!
With love & prayers,
The Turners
What great news!!! I'm so happy for Jessica!!!! I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy healthy New Year.
My Good Bless You!
Love
Elena Kassner Cohen
I just found this blog when I was searching for RSD information. I was wondering if there had been any updates on Jessica's condition. My husband and I are thinking about the ketamine coma for his severe RSD.
Thank you and God bless!
kristy
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