Help Jess Get her Life Back & Recover

Hey everyone, it's Jess. Some of you may already know my story and some may not. Here I am to explain myself and for once in my life, ask for help.

In December of 2022, I got into a major car accident because an 18-year-old kid decided to run a stop sign. It was late at night, and I was driving home from my uncle's wake, who had passed away the week prior before Christmas. When I T-boned this young kid at around 60 mph, he, of course, was immediately in the wrong. He ran across four lanes and a median, and the next thing I knew, he was in front of me with zero reaction time on my part.

This kid walked away with not a scratch on him, zero legal trouble, and, of course, the bare minimum of car insurance. I now face a lifetime of permanent injuries and struggles because of his poor actions as well as I lost my whole career in Healthcare. I was a CNA going to pursue further, and now I have completely lost that option and that future as well.

In the last almost three years, I have been to well over 300 doctor appointments, scheduled every single week. Physical therapy every week and will go for a very long time. I have a permanent brain injury with many deficits and a spinal injury. I have had dozens of needles in my body, tons of tests, blood draws, therapies, procedures both non-invasive, minimally invasive, and fully invasive, with my last one being a laminectomy discectomy. I had to learn basic life tasks again because my brain did not want to coordinate with my body. I have long-term and short-term memory loss, constant headaches, migraines, light sensitivity, coordination deficits, speech deficits, insomnia, and more. I struggled to walk again after spinal surgery after having a rare complication. I had to teach myself to walk properly again and without a limp because I lost partial feeling in my right leg that has never healed, causing it to become weak and poorly functioning. Being in both physical therapy for your body and neurological therapy for your brain is a workout in itself. I am no longer able to do basic life tasks without struggling. I am in constant pain 24/7. I wake up at about a 5 on a pain scale every day, and when the pain gets to a 10, it's paralyzing and keeps me up all night. I am 29 years old, and life has thrown me through a loop. I cannot walk up stairs, bend, kneel, sit for too long, or stand for too long. I am blessed to be an auntie to an amazing nephew and niece who I can't even enjoy to the fullest because "Auntie Jess has to sit down" or "Auntie Jess can't do that," all because of an accident that was never my fault, and that is one of the hardest and saddest parts for me. I just want to get to a point where I can get my life back and be happy and enjoy whatever time I have left and be in less pain than I am now. Unfortunately, I will suffer with the permanent brain damage as there is nothing I can do by this point, but I tell you all my story because I am finally getting the spine help I desperately need. These past few years have been the hardest for me and nothing but negative, but if you know me personally, you know how well I have pushed through every single thing. To the point people have said, "I truly don't even know how you do it," and truthfully, neither do I. But I do it and need to keep doing it.

I was a new patient at HSS Hospital for Special Surgery and will be a candidate for an anterior lumbar interbody fusion. This surgery, unfortunately, will have me down and out a minimum of three months, per the doctor's words. Three months is the magic number apparently, so let's hope so. If you know me, you know I have always done everything for everyone else, sometimes when I even had nothing myself. You also know how hard I try to keep it together for myself, my friends, and my family. But for once, I need help. I will be unable to work, let alone do much of anything for that time frame.

These donations will help me keep my bills paid, rent paid, food, travel expenses to and from surgery and follow-up appointments, any out-of-pocket medical expenses, medical bills, and truly anything else life throws my way because let's be honest, there's always something more. All I do is stress and have anxiety, and at least if things are covered, it's truly weight off my shoulders while I am in recovery, and for that, I am beyond grateful and blessed.

If you took the time to read this, I thank you so much, and if you donated, also thank you so much. Please share this, as not only will it help get my life back for the first time in years, but I can also worry less while I recover.

Much love, Jess.