Donate to Jamie Ray's Journey to Recovery

My name is MaryAnn Ray and I am asking for financial aid for medical reasons for our son Jamie Ray. Jamie started out life born with Cerebral Palsy. Despite his disability Jamie was always a very caring and supporting person. He has two beautiful daughters, Jacey,13 and Kessa,8 as you can see in the picture a year ago before he became sick. Five years a go he was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer and had his thyroid removed and has been cancer free. Then it all happed, this is Jamie's story: As some may know, around this past January I had the flu. I got better then about a week later. I woke up with both feet being numb. I thought maybe I slept weird or something, then about a week after that I started getting chest pain/ palpitations, then came the numbing and swelling in my face and hands and my head with headaches Shortly after that my left eye went blurry. I then started feeling my body vibrating super weird symptoms. (Internal tremors) I then started having symptoms of what I later know is called Lhermitte syndrome. When you tilt your head down you get a shocking sensation down your whole body . I wasn’t sure what was going on with my body. I went to the ER 3-5 times and ran some test couldn’t get any answers. I continued to function as best as could continued to work and just kept hope it would go away or would get answers . The symptoms kept getting worse . I couldn’t get any doctors to take me serious for first few months . I had to stop working April 25th . I started doing my own research and came to find out really quick it was something neurological going on I called a neurologist and they weren't taking anything serious. I called the MS clinic at UPMC in Pittsburgh. I had to go for multiple MRI,EEG, nerve conduction test and last but not least a lumbar puncture( spinal tap) I was just happy I finally got doctors to take me serious . The first brain MRI showed a 1 cm spot( lesion) then cervical came back clear they thought . I got a call a week later from the doctor saying after reviewing the MRI there was a spot on my cervical (neck area) the spinal tap was also abnormal but also should some normal things that could rule out MS m. Nothing made sense to me . I had thyroid cancer in 2019 and got through that and now here comes a death sentence again . I would lay there just ask why Is happening. I feel like everything is over and I would be in a wheelchair very soon .

I had so many great people reach out to me and it means more then you will ever know . I see all the messages I felt so down and depressed so I don’t talk about It . I’m just trying to not think about what might become of my life . All I want is to get better and get a correct diagnosis.

I feel so bad for my girls they been through so much, I can barely function 90% Thank god for my parents and the other grandparents for all their help Idk what I would do without them being a single parent. I’m not giving up I'm gonna keep fighting.

So after a few meeting with the doctors and speaking with their team they are saying it could be from the flu and it could take 6/12 months to recover. There are a lot of diseases that mimic MS (ADEM, CIS )

I was maintaining for the last 5 months but not getting better at all. I kept asking for IVIG or IV steroids because if it is CIS there’s 70-100% of full recovery. I had an appointment last week and he finally prescribed me prednisone and bacifin for the spasming .

Demyelination of my CNS high dosage of IV can help . I felt the best I had since this all started, but then I started getting really bad leg tremors.

I’m so thankful for my parents, the girls other grandparents also . Thank you guys so much .

Thanks for all the messages from family, friends, coworkers. I see them all . I appreciate all of you guys more than you will ever know . I’m sorry if I don’t respond. I just try to get by min to min, especially when your life can change so fast . I’m Scared to death for my kids.

Even know I don’t know what the future holds for me but I do know I’m not giving up . I been wanting to make a post but I couldn’t do it. I think with so many people reaching out it’s only right I do.

The video is from this past Saturday, It just really devastating.

I got my latest MRI of my thoracic spine results back today and there is no indication of demyelination in my thoracic spine thankfully.

Since this post on Facebook Jamie has got much worse, he started having terrible arm and leg tremors, I'm trying to load a video of one of them, with still no answers, the doctors in Pittsburgh say the are on the wall about his case, they think it could be onset MS. Now we finally got an appointment at Cleveland clinic in Cleveland Ohio. We are praying that we get answers and a treatment to get him better. In the meantime between trips for testing, doctors trips and trips to Pittsburgh and now Cleveland and no income Jamie's bills are really starting to pile up. I posted a couple of pictures of how swelled his face and hand gets. All Jamie wants is to get better so he can take care of his girls and go back to work. So please help us come up with some money to help ease his mind some and pray he gets better! Please share with your family and friends for Jamie. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!