Support Jacqueline's Journey to Recovery

On Friday, July 19th at 9am, Jacqueline Paternoster (Jac), 28 years old, went to U of M Ann Arbor for a procedure involving a scope to check and monitor her airway, bronchial tubes, and lungs. She has had this procedure many times before (successfully) over the years that it has become pretty routine for her. Unexpectedly, towards the end of the procedure, they discovered Jac had an uncontrollable bleed somewhere within her lung area and had to take immediate action to save her life. After a long day of three surgeries to attempt to find the bleed, the surgeons let Jac rest in a sedated state for the weekend to attempt for her body to heal enough to discover where the issue was stemming from. Monday morning she had two more surgeries in an attempt to find and correct the issue as non-invasively as possible. They found it was a ruptured pseudo aneurysm in her pulmonary artery. The attempt was not successful, and there was only one option left at this point. Tuesday morning, her final surgery to correct the issue resulted in them removing her middle and lower lobe of her right lung.

As if this whole thing isn't risky and complicated in itself, Jac has a rare autoimmune disorder called Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (also known as Wegner's). This is a condition that causes inflammation of the blood vessels, and mainly affects the ears, nose, throat, and lungs. She was diagnosed with this around 10 years ago, but has never let it define her. It's just another thing that makes her the unique, rare, kick-ass young woman that she is.

Currently, she is still at U of M recovering and being closely monitored in the ICU and is making progress every day. It is going to be a long road of recovery for Jac, not only mainly physically, but mentally as well. Processing all of this coming out of sedation is unimaginable, but through this process she is being her strong, practical, AMAZING self and keeping her spirits up.

With that being said, Jac and her fiancé, Mackenzie (Mac) were supposed to be getting married on August 24th of this year... less than a month away. Due to these unforeseen, horrible circumstances, they are faced with having to postpone their dream wedding. They have put all of their love, time, and money in preparing for what's supposed to be the best day of their life.

In addition, Jac recently started a new job and is no longer receiving a paycheck as she exhausted her PTO and is not eligible for FMLA. Her employer has allowed her 30 days to maintain an active status and to remain insured, however, if she is unable to return, she faces the loss of her job and her insurance. Jac is currently not receiving income and as a result, Jac and Mac are paying out of pocket to ensure she is covered for the time being. Not only is there an uncertainty of retaining her job, she will have to continue to pay out of pocket for insurance or not have it at all... along with the potential hospital bills and everyday bills which will add up extremely quick.

Jacqueline is so strong and has never let the severity of her autoimmune stop her in any way. She lives her life as a social worker, helping families in need. No matter how she is feeling she always prioritizes being there for her friends and family, as an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on. She's always there for EVERYONE... and now it's time for us to all show up for our girl.

Jacqueline deserves the world, and we, her family, are just hoping she can come home from this nightmare and not be faced with a financial burden or hospital bills piling up. She is truly an inspiration and a miracle to all of us. Anything would help in this time of uncertainty and need, we appreciate you all and thank you!

Please keep Jacqueline in your thoughts and prayers!