Jessica Nielsen Coming Home Costs

My name is Becky Nielsen.  My sweet niece Jessica suddenly became paralyzed from the neck down while serving her mission in California. I'll give a little more background on her story at the end but first would like to ask for your help to raise money for her family to make arrangements for her to come home.

Jessica has been in hospitals and a rehabilitation facility ever since September, and she and her family have handled this life change in an amazing way. Her astronomical medical bills have largely been handled by insurance to date, but as she prepares for next steps there are a couple of significant expenses that insurance will not cover.

Jessica is scheduled to be discharged from the rehab facility on February 13th and to finally return home. In preparation for that, Jeff and Megan need to remodel the main level of their house to make it wheelchair accessible and to create a bedroom/bathroom (from the living room/office) that can accommodate Jessica's needs. They also need to acquire a wheelchair-converted van in order to transport Jessica. Both of these are quite expensive and neither is covered by insurance or government aid.  In addition, Jessica will initially need round-the-clock nursing which their insurance won't support.  

At this time, it would be wonderful if we could pull together to make this a bit easier for Jessica’s family. A little can go a long way when we all work together. Any donation will be appreciated and put towards the remodeling, the van, and nursing costs.    Thank you so much for caring!

More details of Jessica's story (by Jessica's father):
In May 2017, Jessica fulfilled one of her lifelong dreams by beginning service as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. After three weeks in the Missionary Training Center, she flew to Long Beach, California in June where she anticipated serving for a period of 18 months.

On the morning of Friday, September 15, 2017, Jessica fainted after showering, lost her pulse, and stopped breathing. MRI scans showed large areas of infection in her skull. Over the next several days, she lost all sensation and ability to move—first in her arms and then in her legs. Subsequent scans showed that extensive damage had developed over a few days to the neural tissue in the spinal cord at the base of her brain (most likely a spinal cord stroke). Although the doctors aren't entirely sure how it happened, the end result is that she is completely paralyzed from the neck down.

Jessica was released as a missionary in October and was transported back to the east coast in November, where she began an inpatient rehabilitation program at the Kennedy-Krieger Institute. She currently spends six hours a day working with Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Speech Therapists, and other practitioners. 

While she still can't breathe on her own, move, or even swallow, Jessica is working very hard. She remains optimistic about being able to recover some function eventually, and it is wonderful to be with her and feel her powerful spirit. After spending her last birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's all in medical facilities, Jessica is eager to be able to come home. 

Thank you for keeping her in your prayers and for any help you can provide at this time.  It is greatly appreciated.