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ALS takes, please give: Supporting Jess & family

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Have you ever flown to Hong Kong for a 3-day trip because there was an error in airline ticket pricing? Or agreed to be someone’s roommate after meeting them for only 5 minutes? Jess has.
Have you ever ordered an absurd number of fluorescent black tube lights for your house to throw an epic party? Or woken up at 3am to drive to Michigan to go shopping on Black Friday? Jess has done all these things, and more!
While her adventurous spirit (or what may be FOMO) has brought such delight to her friends, Jess is known most for being hardworking, determined, absolutely (sometimes unintentionally) hilarious, supportive, and kind-hearted. She is a trivia-whiz, a laundry fiend, a research guru, a lover of all things green, and a truly extraordinary and wonderful person.

After successfully persevering through years of graduate training to become a child clinical psychologist, Jess ultimately obtained her dream position at the Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Centre. Her endless zest for life carried her through and onto her most treasured goal of all – to create her own family. This is a journey that she and her husband Avery have just begun in St. John’s with the birth of their two charming little boys, first Jack and then Clark.

In early 2023, just as these joyful goals for her life were being realized, Jess received devastating news. This was news that no amount of hard work or perseverance can change. Jess was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a devastating, incurable, and ultimately fatal condition that causes greater and greater impairment in walking, speaking, swallowing, and breathing. As her condition worsens, Jess and her family will need more and more help and support. As friends who love Jess dearly, we have set up this gofundme on her behalf to help support her and her family's financial needs. Given the devastation ALS causes, we are asking for the support of our communities to help a family in need. In addition to replacing lost income when she stops working, Jess will need very costly medical devices, moving expenses and/or home modifications, childcare, and homecare services. Even in a country with publicly funded healthcare, Jess and her family will struggle to meet their basic needs without support.

Please consider donating even a small amount of money to support a family facing overwhelming challenges and loss, even if you can only afford a few dollars, it all adds up. Please donate any amount via this GoFundMe, OR you can also send the donation directly to Jess and her family at jessgofundme2023 at gmail dot com (use proper email address format, gofundme suppresses emails)- GoFundMe takes a small % so e-transfer is a good option for larger donations. Funds sent to gmail go directly to Jess's account, and funds donated to this gofundme are also directly deposited to Jess from gofundme.

Even if you can’t financially contribute, please help us by sharing this request to others who may donate (or know others who may donate) - we’re trying to reach as many people as possible. By helping to lessen the growing financial stress ALS will impose on Jess and her family, donations will help to provide tangible support, as well as allow Jess and her husband Avery to spend more time being present for their children, creating memories, and making the most of their precious and limited time together. Every donation will directly contribute to providing an immense gift that far surpasses a simple number, it is a gift of ease, of peace, and of the chance to experience each precious moment freed from excessive financial burden. Please give what you can knowing that you are changing the end-of-life experience of an extraordinary and beloved young wife, mother, friend, and psychologist who has given herself whole-heartedly to everyone around her.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity!
Sincerely,
- Everyone who loves Jess <3 <3 <3
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Donations 

  • Sarah Joubert
    • $200
    • 26 d
  • Anonymous
    • $200
    • 2 mos
  • Chris Wood
    • $150
    • 3 mos
  • Anonymous
    • $200
    • 3 mos
  • Sam Iskandar
    • $345
    • 3 mos
Donate

Organizer and beneficiary

Friends of Jess
Organizer
St. John's, NL
Jessica McCarthy
Beneficiary

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