Help Jeanne to Remain Living at Home

JEANNE WEST is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi, my name is Jeanne West. I am raising funds on behalf of my daughter Jeanne Davis so that she can stay in her home. Through the years, Jeanne has been fondly known as JJ by her family and close friends. I will refer to her throughout her story as JJ so there's no confusion regarding our names being the same. Please read her story and help her if you can.

Fourteen years ago, JJ's life was changed forever when she was tragically struck by a car while crossing the street in Indialantic, FL. After enduring multiple invasive surgeries to save her life and to repair the physical damage from the accident, JJ was left paralyzed from the chest down and on a ventilator as she was unable to breathe on her own. She could not return to her home.

JJ's Life Before the Accident

Prior to her catastrophic accident she was working full time in Brevard County as a Social Worker. She was dedicated and passionate in her career working with at-risk youths. The main focus of her job was to keep families intact by coordinating in-home services with the goal of keeping children out of foster homes. Not only did she love this work, she considered it her life’s mission.

She was equally passionate about dog rescue and spending time with her five dogs that she walked daily and often took to the beach with her. Unfortunately, following her accident, they all were separated and placed into foster care. Sadly, only two were returned to her. It was a heart wrenching loss for JJ.

JJ grew up in Indialantic starting with 4th grade when we moved here from Indiana. She attended Indialantic Elementary then Hoover Jr High before moving on to Melbourne High School. The beach life was what she loved and where she grew up. As an adult, she moved to Tennessee for a few years before moving back to her childhood home of Indialantic. She was always extremely physically active and outgoing, even as a very young child. She enjoyed spending time at the beach collecting shells and boogie boarding. Most mornings she could be found there enjoying the sunrise while meditating and writing. She spent a lot of time in nature, hiking, camping and kayaking with friends. She enjoyed crafting and was an avid motorcycle rider. JJ never met a stranger and had a wide circle of friends. She was very adventurous.

Then her horrible accident happened, she was not expected to survive after being struck by a car on that fateful evening...

After the Accident and Beyond

For 2 years following her accident, JJ experienced many challenges while residing in multiple hospitals and nursing homes. First, after coming off life support and out of ICU, she was admitted to a specialized hospital to be weaned off the ventilator and relearn how to breathe on her own. Even though the prognosis of success was bleak, JJ was successful!

After that, she was transferred to multiple nursing homes. During this time, JJ developed a stage 4 bed sore that required months of painful treatments and eventually another invasive and risky surgery to heal her wound. In addition, JJ experienced numerous hospitalizations due to infections caused by improper hygienic care, and neglect. Most nursing homes requested she be moved to another facility because they didn’t have the staffing or resources to provide adequate care for a quadriplegic resident.

The effects of these medically neglectful environments took significant mental and emotional tolls on JJ, who wanted nothing more than to get better and return home. She realized her physical advancement did not appear to be a priority as she received limited therapies to work toward becoming more independent. On average, she was only allowed about 4 hours weekly propped upright in a wheelchair. As a result, her muscles and range of motion began to deteriorate further. Due to being consistently bedridden, she suffered severe depression. She was often placed in a room by herself where she was extremely isolated and lonely.

After a very long wait, JJ was air lifted to another state where she was finally able to receive four months of much needed specialized therapy that helped build her strength and confidence. She was determined and worked hard daily and although they said she wouldn’t be able to, she learned how to drive her own wheelchair. After completing therapy there, she returned to Florida to begin a new chapter in her life as a quadriplegic.

For the last 12 years she has lived with me, her Mother who tries to assist with her care but is physically unable to provide the care that JJ needs.

JJ’s Financial Assistance Needs

JJ requires roughly 20 hours a day of caregiver assistance with bathing, dressing, eating, transferring in/out of her wheelchair, shopping, doctors’ appointments, etc. Currently, despite her continued attempts to get more hours, insurance only grants her 8 hours per day, 6 days weekly of caregiver support. Coverage is Monday through Saturday; she gets no hours on Sunday. Jeanne requires at least an additional 12 hours of support daily, as well as another 20 hours to cover Sundays. She needs help nightly to transfer back to her bed and be re-positioned during the night to prevent bed sores and also for safety should there be a household emergency such as a fire. All additional hours of necessary care are paid out of personal funds. UPDATE: since the first writing of JJ's story, she has been granted 18 additional hours of care.

Unfortunately, due to the unprecedented rising cost of care and the effects of inflation, JJ’s funds are nearly depleted. Without financial support, she faces the devastating possibility of once again being moved into a nursing home, a heartbreaking circumstance she has experienced before. She will lose the independence that she worked so hard to gain. In addition, she will once again face being separated from her beloved emotional support dog Gracie, an even more wretchedly heartbreaking situation she has been through before.

We are reaching out to our community and beyond to help ensure JJ can remain at home, surrounded by the love and support of her family, friends and caregivers. Your donations will go directly toward the cost of caregivers, equipment, and resources she needs to maintain her independence, dignity and physical health.

JJ was once a passionate hobbyist, and while her physical abilities have changed, her adventurous spirit has not. She stays active in spite of her disability and enjoys being involved in her community. Despite Jeanne being a quadriplegic, she has managed to create a life where she is able to remain active in her community. She takes great pleasure in attending a church she loves. She enjoys dinner with friends as well as cooking. She has even learned to walk her dog independently. She is an avid reader, belongs to a local book club and still writes regularly using talk-to-text on her phone or tablet. She still loves the beach and gets there as often as possible. She still never meets a stranger and talks with many people wherever she goes, especially on the boardwalk in Indialantic FL. She has created a life worth living which is now in jeopardy. She is a selfless and compassionate soul that strives to help others whenever she can.

Please help us give her the chance to continue living a life of freedom, comfort, and joy in her home where she’s safe, receives loving care, and is free to continue these pursuits.

Any contribution, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference and will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity in helping Jeanne maintain her quality of life.

Please help us share this GoFundMe link. Together, we can unite to achieve this goal.

May God bless you and keep you in the holiday season and always.