Help Jerrica get the Second Opinion She Deserves!

For those that do not know me, my name is KaeLoni Cahill, Jerrica Darling and I have been friends/family for 20+ years now. We have been through thick and thin together. This Go Fund Me means so much to me to be able to do for Jerrica. To be able to give back to someone who gives so much to SO many people and never expecting anything in return!!

For those who do not know Jerrica Darling, she is a 35 year old single mother of her 12 year old daughter, Jemma Jane. Jerrica was diagnosed with complete Heart Failure on March 19th 2021 at the age of 34. Jerrica has always been active in sports and in the community. Jerrica has always been a hard worker. She has several degree’s and currently works for an amazing program in Rochester NY as a Home Visitor for Action for a Better Community Head Start Program! She plays in adult Softball League’s, active in the Midlakes Softball Booster’s Program. When she’s not at her daughters sporting events she can be found helping to care for her elderly Grandmothers who need extra cares or helping with friends kiddo’s (especially mine) etc. Jerrica is just an all around amazing human who deserves the second chance I hope and pray we can give her.

Here is a summary of what the past year has been like for Jerrica. Starting a few days prior to the new’s no one ever wants to hear!

March 4th 2021- Jerrica had been experiencing pain in her right side and under her left rib cage for about a week . She thought she pulled a muscle moving her Grandmothers room around. Pain never ceased so she went to Urgent Care who then sent her to the ED stating she needed a scan. At GGH she was diagnosed with Splenic Infraction which is a condition in which blood flow supply to the spleen is compromised, leading to partial or complete infraction in the organ. Splenic Infarction occurs when the splenic artery or one of its branches are occluded, for example by a blood clot.

March 18th 2021- See’s oncologist/hematologist to see what caused the spleen issues- they completed a ultra sound on both legs

March 19th 2021- 8am they completed an Ultra Sound on her Thyroid & Corroded Artery , did an Echo Cardio Gram as well as well as a Cat Scan of upper chest and head. By 10:30 am that same day, Jerrica received a call from her PCP telling her that she needed to go to the Emergency Room immediately as she was in complete Heart Failure and her Heart was only working at 9%. She calls to make arrangements for Jemma, calls her Dad to tell him to meet her at the hospital because she’s in heart failure. Jerrica is then admitted to the ICU.

Jerrica remains in the ICU at Geneva General Hospital as her heart could not stand contracting COVID-19 therefore she was not to be transferred to Rochester. Jerrica was being treated to reduce the fluid around her heart. She remained in ICU until March 23rd 2021 when she was released from the hospital.

April 9th 2021- Follow up appointment where they did an Echo and fitted her for a Life Vest. The Echo showed her heart was at 31%. Few days later began wearing the Life Vest daily.

May 7th 2021- Jerrica has a Cardio Cath done. This is a thin hollow tube/catheter that’s inserted into the large blood vessel that leads to the heart to measure the pressure and flow to determine a better explanation of whether there is a disease of the heart muscle, valves or coronary. They also preformed an angiogram- which is dye through the catheter so that they can X-Ray her Artery and Veins. Jerrica was suffering chest pains and her arm was super sore. The next step would be a Cardiac MRI for the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD)- still wearing life vest.

June 9th 2021- MRI was done- still wearing life vest

June 30th 2021- BNP decreased from 1450 to 850 but is still 8x higher than it should be. – Still wearing Life Vest & continues to attempt to develop the new “norm” for her life now.

July 15th 2021- (S-ICD) Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator which provides protection from both sudden Cardio Death/Risk’s and complications associated with transvenous leads.

(its like a pacemaker and an AED mixed together but instead of keeping her heart in rhythm it will shock her if her heart were to stop.)

September 10th 2021- Jerrica had an Echo done & learned her heart was at 21% function making her ineligible for a heart transplant, god for bid that her condition suddenly worsens, she would be in a very scary place. She has accrued un godly amounts of debts from medical bills for procedure’s or equipment that her life physically depended on.

March 27th 2022- Jerrica is at a stand still. Her only option left is to seek a second opinion at the George M. And Linda H Kaufman Center for Heart Failure at Cleveland Clinic’s Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute. “There primary goal of treating patients with heart failure is to decrease the likelihood of disease progression, thereby decreasing the need for a heart transplant, advanced heart failure treatments, the need for hospitalization and the risk of death. It is also to lesson the symptoms and improve quality of life. However, for a small percentage of patients, heart failure is relentless, and Cleveland Clinic has a multidisciplinary team of caregivers specializing in heart failure to provide the best options for advanced treatment therapies.”

“The Kaufman Center for Heart Failure provides a SINGLE LOCATION where cardiologist, cardiac surgeons, nurses, nutritionists, cardiac rehabilitation professionals, and clinical and basic research scientists can work together toward the common goal of controlling symptoms and treating patients with heart failure. The center is synonymous with patient care, education, research and a healing environment.”

Insurance will not cover the same specialist working her case and the only way to take on a specialist for a second opinion without loosing her Cardio care here in NY, is to pay fully out of pocket which luckily the institute offers combined fee’s for those seeking second opinions, however it’s a costly process as Jerrica would need to pay for travel, stay and all the medical treatments there while still trying to maintain her life finically here for herself and her daughter. I am asking for everyone’s help in making this happen for Jerrica by sharing, donating, or simply even praying.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you not only for myself but for Jemma Jane & all of Jerrica’s family and loved ones who have been by her side through this entire journey and who want more than anything to help her get through this.