Jackie Witter Medical Expense Fund

It has been difficult for a self-reliant person like our friend Jackie to ask for or accept help. These past months have been a true lesson in humility and of the truth that none of us are meant to go it alone. This page has been created by some of Jackie's friends who know well the gift she has been to so many. If you know of people who have attended a retreat or a session that Jackie has done but that don't know her personally, would you please consider forwarding this link to them, as well? Those of us who know Jackie's work are very aware of how many people she has touched through the years and how important that ripple effect is for so many. Blessings on whatever you can do to make that happen.

Here's Jackie's story, shared by Jackie herself. Please feel free to share it as broadly as you can:

A Torrent of Serious Health Issues Unleashed by Drunk Driver: How My Vision of a Healthy Church Got Broad-sided

It’s difficult to get one’s head around the reality that you narrowly missed dying. Not just once, but three times in the course of 18 months. That’s what happened to me, and I am still trying to comprehend it and its meaning.

My story began with my being broadsided by a driver who repeatedly slammed into the driver's side of my car because she was too drunk to know to brake. The police officers were shocked that I was able to get out of my car given what they saw and the facts of the impact. One of them said that normally the driver in such an accident would be killed, but I was saved. I suffered a severe concussion which has resulted in hearing loss on my left side, but no external injuries, amazingly enough.

Over the months that followed, however, it has been as though the trauma of the accident has unleashed a series of serious health issues, some stemming from existing health issues that have now worsened and some that were new. The result of all this has been some lengthy hospitalizations and also some oral surgery. Even with health insurance, the uncovered portions of medical and dental bills have been staggering. To add to all this, I also found myself homeless for two months because of a dishonest landlord and had the added expense of renting storage for my belongings until I could find a new place to live.

My most recent three-week stay in the hospital has affirmed how essential family and friends are to my knowing and living my vocation in life and giving me reason to do the hard work of healing. Family and friends have been critically important to saving and sustaining my life. I have a deeper sense of who and what I am called by God to be and to do.

One of the mantras I often remind people of is "If you change a part, you change the whole." I know that the work I have been focused on over the past 13 years in supporting church ministers and offering spiritual formation for adults has not only benefited the immediate participants but also all the people in their lives. That is one of the most rewarding aspects of what I do -- knowing that I am able to help hundreds more people when the people I meet and serve bring what they have experienced to their families, friends and communities.

I believe that God has saved my life so that I can continue and expand the spiritual and ministry formation work I have been doing, but I know that I will only be able to this if I accept help from others. The past 18 months have been a lesson in humility. It is incredibly difficult for me to ask for help, but I know that I must. I will be in the process of recuperation for many more months, though I have been able to resume some of the work I have been doing. I need your prayers and your moral support and I also ask for your financial help. My debt has risen to over $80,000 and I can no longer solve this crisis on my own.

As difficult as it is to ask, I will gratefully accept whatever you might be able to contribute. Any donation will be appreciated.

Let's show Jackie how important her return to full-time, active ministry is by doing what we can to help her bring down her sizeable debt so she can once again focus on sharing her many gifts and helping others.

Thanks again for taking the time to read Jackie's story.  We offer our heartfelt gratitude for any contribution you can make. Please share this with others as we continue to pray for Jackie and demonstrate what we can accomplish together to help a very gifted friend who needs our help now.

“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but what is still possible for you to do.” - Saint Pope John XXIII