Help Jenny's Journey to Wellness
Donation protected
Fifteen years ago Jennifer Davis extended her help to me. I lived in the same condominium building, but we had never formally met. She saw me struggling to carry up endless loads of flooring to my top floor unit. She met me in the stairwell, introduced herself, and spent the next few hours helping me make the trek up and down five flights of stairs. She has been my treasured friend since that summer day. It's my turn to help Jenny.
Back to the Beginning
In 2015, my fearless and adventure-seeking friend donated most of her belongings to a suicide prevention organization, sold her car, and with only two suitcases in tow moved to Guatemala to teach at The American School. While hiking Acatenango Volcano, Jenny met the love of her life, an abandoned 3-week old puppy. Jenny named her new family member, Aca, after the volcano.
Jenny’s symptoms were subtle at first- often falling and feeling uncoordinated, but Jenny just attributed this to her lack of grace. Eventually, Jenny's symptoms escalated to a severe case of pneumonia, losing her eyesight and dropping an alarming amount of weight. Jenny's medical issues were beyond the healthcare system in Guatemala, so she and Aca moved back to Illinois in 2017.
Jenny's Health History
I will be honest . . . it has been really difficult to keep track (let alone understand)all of Jenny's diagnoses and health history. It is all so complicated! When she received the diagnosis of systemic and retinal vasculitis, she was finally able to make sense of her symptoms in Guatemala. In simple terms, vasculitis is a rare and serious inflammatory disease that causes internal organ damage. Jenny's vasculitis has led to another serious eye disease called cystoid macular edema, which left untreated will ultimately lead to permanent blindness.
Roughly a year ago, I invited Jenny to come out for the day. I noticed she was excusing herself to my bathroom every 30 minutes like clockwork. She confessed that she had been battling a potentially life-threatening infectious disease called C. difficile, and none of the normal treatments were working, which was caused by all the medications she was taking for her medical issues. Her intestines were wiped of the good bacteria that, in healthy people, naturally thwarts such infections. Jenny applied for treatment at Mayo Clinic, and a team of doctors jumped at the opportunity to work on her complex case. Along with my newly adopted Pit Bull, Murphy, I accompanied Jenny to her first visit to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota last June. She met a world-renowned doctor who was at the tail-end of his fecal transplant study. Jenny left Mayo Clinic that weekend with an appointment for a fecal transplant which ultimately cured her case of C. diff.
Jenny and her team of doctors have been so focused on the medical issues I described that their suspicions of a multiple sclerosis diagnosis were put on hold. With C. diff cleared and treatments for her inflammatory diseases underway, her team of doctors is currently working on tackling their suspicions that Jenny has multiple sclerosis.
It's not easy to talk about mental health issues, but this is a vital component of Jenny's story and hardships. For those of you that know Jenny, she has had no shortage of trauma in her life. Her high doses of prednisone for her vasculitis exacerbate her major depressive disorder diagnosis. She has a wonderful psychiatrist that is working with Jenny's medical team to regulate her medications.
Financial Hardship
Jenny's last day of teaching was April 27th as she has finally followed her medical team's advisement to go on disability. Although this is the only viable course of action, it is financially devastating. Jenny now receives 40 percent of her salary. Jenny's doctors have revoked her ability to drive a vehicle, so she must pay for Uber rides or take the train for her frequent treatments and tests. A typical Uber ride to Northwestern is a $40 round trip. Every medical visit is a $50 co-pay. Each bottle of steroid eye drops is $200 (not covered by insurance). Jenny's eyesight is in constant flux; therefore her prescription is too. Her recent pair of prescription sunglasses were $1000. Thankfully, Jenny lives with her Aunt Barb. However, her Aunt relies on Jenny's share of the mortgage, utilities, and food. The bottom line is that Jenny is drowning and simply cannot keep up with the expenses of her illnesses.
To bring the story full circle, Aca is going to be Jenny’s therapy dog. Soon, Jenny will begin paying for Aca to begin her therapy dog training.
Let's rally around Jenny. She needs all of us. She often contemplates whether she can or wants to continue living like this. We need to let her know that she must continue to fight! Every financial contribution matters.
Back to the Beginning
In 2015, my fearless and adventure-seeking friend donated most of her belongings to a suicide prevention organization, sold her car, and with only two suitcases in tow moved to Guatemala to teach at The American School. While hiking Acatenango Volcano, Jenny met the love of her life, an abandoned 3-week old puppy. Jenny named her new family member, Aca, after the volcano.
Jenny’s symptoms were subtle at first- often falling and feeling uncoordinated, but Jenny just attributed this to her lack of grace. Eventually, Jenny's symptoms escalated to a severe case of pneumonia, losing her eyesight and dropping an alarming amount of weight. Jenny's medical issues were beyond the healthcare system in Guatemala, so she and Aca moved back to Illinois in 2017.
Jenny's Health History
I will be honest . . . it has been really difficult to keep track (let alone understand)all of Jenny's diagnoses and health history. It is all so complicated! When she received the diagnosis of systemic and retinal vasculitis, she was finally able to make sense of her symptoms in Guatemala. In simple terms, vasculitis is a rare and serious inflammatory disease that causes internal organ damage. Jenny's vasculitis has led to another serious eye disease called cystoid macular edema, which left untreated will ultimately lead to permanent blindness.
Roughly a year ago, I invited Jenny to come out for the day. I noticed she was excusing herself to my bathroom every 30 minutes like clockwork. She confessed that she had been battling a potentially life-threatening infectious disease called C. difficile, and none of the normal treatments were working, which was caused by all the medications she was taking for her medical issues. Her intestines were wiped of the good bacteria that, in healthy people, naturally thwarts such infections. Jenny applied for treatment at Mayo Clinic, and a team of doctors jumped at the opportunity to work on her complex case. Along with my newly adopted Pit Bull, Murphy, I accompanied Jenny to her first visit to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota last June. She met a world-renowned doctor who was at the tail-end of his fecal transplant study. Jenny left Mayo Clinic that weekend with an appointment for a fecal transplant which ultimately cured her case of C. diff.
Jenny and her team of doctors have been so focused on the medical issues I described that their suspicions of a multiple sclerosis diagnosis were put on hold. With C. diff cleared and treatments for her inflammatory diseases underway, her team of doctors is currently working on tackling their suspicions that Jenny has multiple sclerosis.
It's not easy to talk about mental health issues, but this is a vital component of Jenny's story and hardships. For those of you that know Jenny, she has had no shortage of trauma in her life. Her high doses of prednisone for her vasculitis exacerbate her major depressive disorder diagnosis. She has a wonderful psychiatrist that is working with Jenny's medical team to regulate her medications.
Financial Hardship
Jenny's last day of teaching was April 27th as she has finally followed her medical team's advisement to go on disability. Although this is the only viable course of action, it is financially devastating. Jenny now receives 40 percent of her salary. Jenny's doctors have revoked her ability to drive a vehicle, so she must pay for Uber rides or take the train for her frequent treatments and tests. A typical Uber ride to Northwestern is a $40 round trip. Every medical visit is a $50 co-pay. Each bottle of steroid eye drops is $200 (not covered by insurance). Jenny's eyesight is in constant flux; therefore her prescription is too. Her recent pair of prescription sunglasses were $1000. Thankfully, Jenny lives with her Aunt Barb. However, her Aunt relies on Jenny's share of the mortgage, utilities, and food. The bottom line is that Jenny is drowning and simply cannot keep up with the expenses of her illnesses.
To bring the story full circle, Aca is going to be Jenny’s therapy dog. Soon, Jenny will begin paying for Aca to begin her therapy dog training.
Let's rally around Jenny. She needs all of us. She often contemplates whether she can or wants to continue living like this. We need to let her know that she must continue to fight! Every financial contribution matters.
Organizer and beneficiary
Andrea Schaal
Organizer
Yorkville, IL
Jennifer Davis
Beneficiary