Jay's Journey with Guillain-Barre Syndrome
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On Easter Sunday while eating with his family Jay started to have facial paralysis and tingling in his extremities. He went to the ER and was admitted to the hospital because he had the symptoms of a stroke. After the hospital conducted testing for two days on his spine, brain, and neck it was discovered that he did not have a stroke but instead was suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome. Jay was then transported to the Neuro-ICU at OSF in Rockford where he has been since.
Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare disorder where the auto-immune system starts attacking the bodies nerve cells causing significant pain and paralysis. Jay had to be intubated because he was not breathing very well on his own. Jay is paralyzed. The only movement that he is capable of right now is slight nods of the head, moving his eyes, and little hand movements. He communicates with his eyes and an alphabet board.
During the first week of his hospitalization he was receiving IGIV (immune globin intravenous) in hopes of replacing the antibodies that were attacking his body with healthy antibodies but there was very little improvement so the physicians started plasmapheresis the second week. There were some minor improvements after this treatment but on 05/07/2019 they found out that Jay also had pneumonia, presumably from being bedridden for over 2 weeks. The hospital is treating him with antibiotics, on top of all of the other medications, and focusing on getting his fever to come down.
On 05/09/2019 Jay will get a tracheostomy because he has been on the ventilator with no improvement. He will also get a peg feeding tube placed in his stomach. GBS is a very rare disorder with no cure. However, with treatment, physical therapy, medications, and several specialists the recovery process can take from 6 months to a year with some cases taking 3 years for a full recovery.
Jay is a loving husband and a devoted father to 5 beautiful children. He has worked at Franklin Grove Nursing Home for the last 18 years as a maintenance worker but brings more than just repairs to the residents and staff. Jay and his wife, Danielle, are both actively involved with their church and the community. Jay has been unable to work and will be unable to work for the next several months as the recovery from GBS typically takes a year. He will have to learn to walk, talk, and use his muscles again. Jay's wife has not left his side and has been ensuring that he gets the best care possible.
Unfortunately, neither Jay or his wife have short-term disability coverage and the family will be suffering financially because of this unplanned and unexpected crisis. There will be ongoing financial difficulties as this will be a long road to recovery.
Your generous donations will help the family with their medical and housing bills. Please keep Jay and his family in your prayers as his children and wife need him to get better!
Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare disorder where the auto-immune system starts attacking the bodies nerve cells causing significant pain and paralysis. Jay had to be intubated because he was not breathing very well on his own. Jay is paralyzed. The only movement that he is capable of right now is slight nods of the head, moving his eyes, and little hand movements. He communicates with his eyes and an alphabet board.
During the first week of his hospitalization he was receiving IGIV (immune globin intravenous) in hopes of replacing the antibodies that were attacking his body with healthy antibodies but there was very little improvement so the physicians started plasmapheresis the second week. There were some minor improvements after this treatment but on 05/07/2019 they found out that Jay also had pneumonia, presumably from being bedridden for over 2 weeks. The hospital is treating him with antibiotics, on top of all of the other medications, and focusing on getting his fever to come down.
On 05/09/2019 Jay will get a tracheostomy because he has been on the ventilator with no improvement. He will also get a peg feeding tube placed in his stomach. GBS is a very rare disorder with no cure. However, with treatment, physical therapy, medications, and several specialists the recovery process can take from 6 months to a year with some cases taking 3 years for a full recovery.
Jay is a loving husband and a devoted father to 5 beautiful children. He has worked at Franklin Grove Nursing Home for the last 18 years as a maintenance worker but brings more than just repairs to the residents and staff. Jay and his wife, Danielle, are both actively involved with their church and the community. Jay has been unable to work and will be unable to work for the next several months as the recovery from GBS typically takes a year. He will have to learn to walk, talk, and use his muscles again. Jay's wife has not left his side and has been ensuring that he gets the best care possible.
Unfortunately, neither Jay or his wife have short-term disability coverage and the family will be suffering financially because of this unplanned and unexpected crisis. There will be ongoing financial difficulties as this will be a long road to recovery.
Your generous donations will help the family with their medical and housing bills. Please keep Jay and his family in your prayers as his children and wife need him to get better!
Organizer and beneficiary
Jess McCarver
Organizer
Dixon, IL
Antoinette Long
Beneficiary