Hello everyone, my name is Jeffrey David Barr. I'm Mikavey's husband.

Iesa's Story:

To most of you, my wife was affectionately known by her alias, "Mika" (an acronym of her maiden name), but to me, she was my Iesa (pronounced EE-YES-AH). My precious Iesa was born on December 28th, 1998 with a rare genetic condition known as congenital muscular dystrophy, which limits the body from absorbing the proper nutrients and building up muscle mass. The doctors in the Philippines said that she would not live past the age of 18, but 9 years later, My Love was able to pursue her passion for art, get a Bachelor's degree in Biology, Marry the love of her life (me), and move to America to share her uncharacteristic love for living with everyone she met. She truly cherished each of you, and we would pray together for you guys whenever you would reach out.

Iesa still had so many beautiful projects that she was working on bringing to life. We were planning our 2 year wedding anniversary in July. Neither of us expected that our last joyful moments together would occur as we celebrated my 27th birthday on May 10th, 2026, but after a fierce 19 day battle with an unexpected hemorrhagic stroke, Iesa V. Barr entered into the arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on May 29th, 2026 at 5:57pm. I am still utterly broken just typing out these words. The endless amount of "why's" would kill me if I didn't have hope that I will see my beautiful bride again. Truthfully, we still don't even know what caused the hemorrhagic stroke to begin with. As far as we were told, it began as something almost completely unrelated to her muscular dystrophy, yet her muscular dystophy compounded with each medical procedure made things spiral far beyond the control of her doctors. Iesa was a fighting ball of fire, but she was also far more delicate than any medical professional was prepared for.

Even so, I know that my wife is resting peacefully in the presence of the Lord, and for the first time in 9 years, she knows what it's like to live independently of her wheelchair, running freely without fear of falling, and laying down without difficulty breathing. She is more alive than any of us right now, and she would want me to tell you guys of the hope she had in the promises of God. When we were taking her to the hospital, she asked me, "Bubbah, am I dying?" and I told her, "Of course not. The doctors are going to get rid of this headache right away." But she was unconvinced, so she asked my mom, "Mamma, am I dying?" and my mom told her, "Honey we never die. 2 Corinthians 5:8 says 'to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.'" And that was one of the last times I saw my Lovey's smile. She knew where she would be if she never came home from the hospital, and I hold onto that same hope with her.

Our Expenses:

Financially, Iesa's undue medical bills, memorial, and burial costs far exceed what I was able to bless her with when she was next to me. I'm really struggling with the reality of that, but I know that I can't do this alone. If you are able to, please share this page to get the word out and make Iesa's story known.

The Future:

Myself, my twin brother Jared, and Iesa's sister Fideliz will be working on finishing a number of projects that Iesa had begun working on, but was unable to complete. Our most noteworthy projects at this time are:

Thank you all for loving and supporting Iesa throughout her life. She adored creating her art, but more than anything, she loved meeting all of you and sharing her love of the Lord. Thank you all for making this little 4'5 23kg woman feel larger than life. Your kindness, encouragement, and prayers mean the world right now.

"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love." - 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

"You do not have to hide that light.

Illuminate the world with the goodness found inside you

and shine where you shine."

-Mikavey