Happy New Year to All,
To view Jessica on Fox TV, Click on Link Below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW_vstm0bS8
The first day of the new year and my first blog of 2010.
Thank you all for all of your prayers for Jessica. The past ten days post the ICU were rough, as she was fighting infections and on 3 different antibiotics. Yesterday the fevers finally broke and the elevated heart rates also lowered, so we praise God for this new day! Dr. Luigi is trying some different medications to help her with the constant headaches, as well as her pain. In 2 weeks, on January 15th, Jessica will be turning 22 while here in Monterrey! We have faith in God's promises to us. Faith isn't the ability to believe long and far into the future. It's simply taking God at his Word and taking the next step. Faith is the light that guides you through the darkness. It's knowing that tomorrow will hold the blessings of God! Faith is living each day - one at a time! This is my resolution for the new year 2010!!!
Special prayers are needed today for Jessica's Dad. He has been having fevers since his trip to Mexico to see Jessica and I for Christmas and so his doctor admitted him to the hospital in N.Y. yesterday for some testing. He will probably be in the hospital for a few more days. Never a dull moment in the Stevens' family!
Hoping that all of your New Year's resolutions come true!
In God's love, always,
Sarah Gina (Jessica's Mom)*
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him". Hebrews 11:6
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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!
6 comments:
I am so sorry to hear that your husband is quite ill. I will pray for his speedy recovery and that the doctors have the wisdom for how to help hi while he is there. I will also be praying for your other two daughters who are now holding the fort down on their own. May they feel secure and at ease through it all. You must be very worried about him, Sarah. Hold on to the faith that he is getting what he needs and that you are with him in spirit no matter how far apart you may be!
What great news that Jessica is improving! Another answer to prayer.
We had a nice quiet new years celebration A couple of close friends and my children and we played games. This was the first year that I stayed up for the whole event and today I am forced to take it easy as the swelling has returned and the throat pain has returned. However, I am still realizing benefit from my latest trip there and grateful for that.
May you feel God's hug today as you worry not only about Jessica but also about your family that is far from you. May you hold that faith so firmly in your hand that your confidence never waivers and may 2010 be a very great year full of continuous miracles for the Stevens family as a whole!
Love you,
Fern
Happy New Year Jessica & Sarah Gina! Good news for your health and sending extra prayers that Daddy will get the rest and recovery he needs too!
Love and hugs,
Nancy & Joe
prayers for the Stevens' family.
Linda
I will continue to pray for Jessica and will add her father to the list :)
I'm sorry to hear David isn't well. I hope the doctor's find out what it is soon. I can't believe Jessica is going to be 22! I was looking at old movies the other day. We were at Wood Kingdom for Matt's birthday party. It seems like yesterday. Your girls looked so beautiful in their dresses and hair bows! Time is passing way too quickly. I pray 2010 will be a year of hope and full recovery for Jessica. Love, Marianne
So sorry to hear that your husband is in the hospital. We will pray for him and for continued progress with Jessica.
I hope that 2010 will bring all of you well deserved health and peace.
Faith - live each moment knowing that our Lord is in control and is guiding us with each step we take.
Happy New Year
Jenn
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