Help Jillian Heal: Support for a Wife, Friend & Fighter

Hello, my name is Darren and I’m reaching out on behalf of my wife, Jillian — the love of my life, my best friend, and truly my soulmate.

Jillian is the kind of person who gives so much of herself to others. She’s a dedicated professional working a corporate job from home, co-runs our bed and breakfast, and also owns and operates a local bakery specializing in beautiful custom cakes and confections. She gives freely — donating to local churches, elementary schools, high schools, our community college, the Special Olympics, and Christian Motorcyclists Association. She’s always the first to lend a hand, bring a dessert, or quietly cover someone else’s need without ever asking for anything in return.

But now… she desperately needs your help.

In 2015, the night we moved to Springdale, her father suddenly passed away in front of her and her mother. It was a trauma that never left her. Three years later, her mother passed away on Father’s Day. And since then, Jillian’s health has taken a heartbreaking turn.

Once vibrant and healthy, she has endured illness after illness. She has survived a pulmonary embolism and splenic infarctions, both of which left lasting damage to her heart, lungs, and bones. She lives in constant pain, yet continues to push herself for our family and her customers. She has been hospitalized more times than I can count and has now been diagnosed with Long Covid, a severely compromised immune system, and anaplasmosis — all after enduring 13 separate COVID infections. I have come close to losing her more than once.

Despite everything, Jillian never complains. But lately, the emotional weight of this battle has caught up to her. She is in a deep depression, overwhelmed by the physical toll and the mounting medical bills. Our insurance covers almost nothing, and we’re drowning in out-of-pocket costs for specialists, tests, treatments, and medications she urgently needs to survive — let alone heal.

She has always shown up for others. Now it’s time we show up for her.

If you’re able to donate — even just a few dollars — it would mean the world to us. Every little bit will go toward her care and the fight to get her life back to some sense of normalcy. And if you’re not in a position to give, we ask for your prayers, and for you to please share this campaign with others.

Watching the person you love most suffer while feeling powerless is the most painful thing in the world. I would trade places with her in an instant if I could. But since I can’t, I’m doing the next best thing: asking for help.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for caring. And thank you for helping Jillian find her way back to health and hope.

With deepest gratitude,

Darren O’Bannon