In Loving Memory of Jeannie Lynn Janssen

This account was created by Kathryn Hummel (Brezynskie) & Danielle Steenbergen, dear friends of Jeannie's who wish to honour her memory and ask for help in doing so.

Below you'll read about Jeannie's story and ways to consider helping honour her legacy. We appreciate anything you are able to do, even if it is not monetarily, just sharing this page and/or talking to your loved ones about mental health. 

Thank you to everyone visiting this page.

Jeannie Lynn Janssen died peacefully on the morning of May 2nd, 2023 with her friend Danielle by her bedside, after a long battle with her health.

Jeannie was born in St. Thomas, Ontario, attending various schools in the area and eventually graduating high school from IDCI (Ingersoll District Collegiate Institute).

She went on to study at Marvel Beauty School in 2001, worked at TD Bank and became a hairstylist, practiced microblading, lash extensions, among many other jobs over the years until her illnesses of over 26 years forced her to go on disability.

Jeannie was wild and free, and could never be tethered down. She learned to carve her own path early on and run with it. She loved music, art and tattoo culture, working at many different shops over the years. She wore each one of her tattoos with pride.

She was passionate about soccer and played from the age of 4, continuing to play most years until her illnesses progressed too far in the fall of 2022.

Jeannie's life started with a complicated childhood, that led to a series of challenges to follow. She was hospitalized as a teen and diagnosed with complex PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder), along with anxiety and depression. Though she sought treatment and therapy, she had many ups and downs along the way, but always persevered when times got tough. Doctors struggled to find the right diagnosis and her treatment changed many times over the years, eventually being diagnosed with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder). With the help of her friends, the mental health community and her strong will to power through life, she refused to let her diagnosis define her or control her.

At the age of 30, Jeannie had found a loving partner and they brought their son Jax into the world, her only child. He became her everything, her reason to push through the hard days and take good care of herself, and for that she was a loving and attentive mother.

Post-partum life took its toll on the couple, and when Jax was 18 months old, they went their separate ways. Shortly into her life as a single mom, her mental illness got to the point where she struggled to keep a job and needed to go on disability.

As the years went on, Jeannie did her best to find a good rhythm and routine but the shadow of her mental illness was always there. Jeannie tried to share her struggles the best way she was capable of, so loved ones could support her.

In 2018, Jeannie suffered a neck injury from soccer that left her with nerve damage and she attempted to find avenues in the coming years that would help her cope with the pain, as it continued to progress.

Once the pandemic hit there was a real shift in Jeannie’s ability to connect with others, and loved ones could tell she wasn’t coping well. Eventually she became hospitalized in 2021, and doctors did what they could to get her back on the right path, and what followed was a series of burn out and endless drug changes trying to find the right balance for her. After several months of feeling stagnant, and one last burst of determination, she set up a new routine with morning work-outs and afternoon walks, and leaned on friends for support, but the burn out she felt each day only seemed to exacerbate her pain symptoms and anxiety flare-ups. It seemed no matter what she did she felt drained physically with no explanations for it.

By the end of 2021 her pain intensified so much that she would need ice packs on her head and total darkness to cope with these unexplainable flare ups.

Doctors began running a series of tests and even hospitalized her again for a short time to see if they could get to the bottom of her symptoms. Months went by, and all doctors could do was try and manage her pain with more frequent injections, but it gave her only temporary relief and her anxiety attacks began causing tachycardia issues, leading to more hospital visits and testing.

2022 was the hardest year of Jeannie’s life. These symptoms had taken their toll on her spirit and the pain was no longer manageable. With all avenues explored and eliminated, doctors finally diagnosed her condition as Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), which is a disabling and complex illness in which they believe she’d had been battling for almost a decade by that point.

ME/CFS can present many different symptoms for each patient and it is extremely challenging to get a diagnosis. The only way to diagnose patients is by process of elimination. Patients have overwhelming fatigue that is not improved by rest, Jeannie could have been doing something as simple as taking a shower and she’d be bed bound for the rest of the day. This condition caused her to have overwhelming pain in her muscles and joints each day along with a burning sensation in her head, which by the end of 2022 radiated down into her arms and legs at times.

The deterioration was dramatic after her diagnosis, she became bedridden and unable to care for herself beyond her most basic needs. She decided to consult with Dying With Dignity Canada, so she had a say when she’d had enough. Jeannie received MAID (Medical Assistance In Dying) on May 2nd 2023, after a long battle through extreme mental and physical illness.

We want Jeannie’s legacy to live on by celebrating her life, sharing cherished memories and giving back to causes that were near to her heart.

We ask that you please consider donating whatever you can, anything is appreciated, as we understand not everyone is able to contribute monetarily at this time.

If unable to donate funds, we ask that you consider sharing this GoFundMe link with anyone who may be interested and able, not only to raise funds but to also create more awareness about mental illness and ME/CFS.

We would like to raise funds to honour Jeannie's legacy in the following meaningful ways.

Remaining funds will be donated to two causes dear to Jeannie’s heart,

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We appreciate any consideration to support these goals.

If you would like to donate by way of e-transfer, please contact us directly.

Please consider checking back, as frequent updates will be posted.

We'd love to hear from you, please follow this link to share your photos that remind you of Jeannie or leave a message below.

We'd love to compile a gallery to share with everyone who may or may not be able to attend the celebration of life.

Thank you very much in helping us remember this irreplaceable person, that meant so much to so many people. 

Jeannie may be gone but her memory will live on in all of us forever! 

- Kathryn & Danielle

Danielle & Jeannie - Summer 2018

Kathryn & Jeannie - Summer 2019