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Jess Breazeale will change the world. I'm not sure how, except that I know it will be a change for the better. I'm not sure when, but I'm sure it will happen. I need your help to give her that opportunity.
Jess has battled with health issues her entire life. She was born with a congenital heart defect and had her first open heart surgery when she was 18 months old, her second at 2 years old and her third at 3 years old. As a young adult, at age 21, she had her 4th surgery, this time replacing her deformed heat valve with a mechanical valve. She's battled with pneumonia and asthma and anemia. She is currently in the hardest battle of her life.
On August 31st she experienced a massive inter-cerebral hemorrhage. The pain was excruciating. She called her boyfriend Colin, saying that her head was exploding. He rushed to her side and seeing her incapacitated with pain called 911. She slipped into a coma and had brain surgery that evening to remove the hematoma and relieve the pressure in her head. She had a second brain surgery a week later on September 6th to further relieve pressure. In both cases they had to remove part of her brain. In between the surgeries she has been fighting pneumonia, had to be resuscitated after her heart began to fail her, and has fought a number of issues that have yet to be fully diagnosed.
She has begun to awaken from her coma. We have every reason to believe that she will survive. We are praying that she will do so much more than that. We believe with time and rehabilitation, she will flourish. Jess is resilient, determined, and strong of spirit. She is eager to fulfill her dreams.
Before she was struck with this illness, Jess was studying biology at the University of California in Santa Barbara. If you asked her why she was studying biology, she would simply say that she wanted to save the world. Then people would smile and say, "that's great". Those of us who know Jess understand what she means when she says that. She told me once that she would love to explain to someone how studies have demonstrated biological means of sequestering green-house gas emissions could have a significant impact on global warming, or that we are working on bio-engineering biodegradable "plastic" out of things like algae and mushrooms, but they get lost in the details, so she just says she wants to save the world.
Jess doesn't need to be famous, or remembered, or in charge. She just wants to make a difference and I have every confidence that she will. She wants to work with a team of people who are trying to do good in the world, however she can be of help. Most recently she has been focused on projects to solve the problem of islands of plastic floating in the Pacific. She enjoys her work at PISCO labs because she was part of something bigger, a project that was studying the effects of climate change on the marine ecosystem in coastal waters in an effort to impact large-scale policy. She was preparing to study abroad in Costa Rica so that she could be part of a team dedicated to the rescue, release and rehabilitation of local wildlife with a combined focus on conservation, biodiversity, and balancing the local ecosystem in the Costa Rican rain forest. She has a remarkable mind, fascinated with science and the world, an inquisitive mind that challenges the way we think, and a beautiful soul driven to make the world a better place.
Jess is also a great humanitarian and a good friend to everyone. She would sit up all night with a friend with a broken heart, she would hold the hand of a friend as she suffered through the ICU with her own serious health condition, she would help friends overcome addictions and get through depression, she would be the first one to say, "okay, I'll help you move", she's just that kind of person. She has never judged another person, but has always forgiven. I remember a call I received from her after she had started a new class and the teaching assistant was being unreasonable -- she had been on a class wait list and had just gotten admitted to class that morning so was unable to get the necessary books ahead of class, the TA had no compassion for her situation and instead suggested the class was above her abilities -- she was stressed and sad because she had looked forward to the class. I asked her what she was going to do about it and she told me she would be extra nice to him; she said, "maybe he was having a bad day, maybe he needs a friend." She gives tough love when it's needed and a helping hand when that is more in order. I'm sure her friends can give more complete examples of who she is, but I just know that she is the best person I know, more kind and giving than anyone else in my life. I wish I were half the person she is.
Jess is only 28 years old. Her life is still beginning. She has so much to bring to world.
The doctors tell us that she will have a long uphill battle and rehabilitation could take years. But she has surprised the doctors so far, and has lived through days they feared she would not. They also tell us she may have lost her vision, motor skills, even memories. But they are already seeing that she has some vision, some motor skills, some memories and she has only begun to wake up. Jess will fulfill her dreams and will change the world. However, she needs our help to get through all of the rehabilitation.
When Jess had her brain hemorrhage, we needed to withdraw her from UCSB. She lost her housing, her financial aid, and we learned quickly, her health insurance. We did not know that when she lost her insurance, she would not have COBRA available through the university system. We did not know that the insurance ends at the end of the summer quarter instead of the end of the month. She was over 26 so we could not put her on our insurance. We scrambled and got her on Medi-Cal. Unfortunately, Medi-Cal is not accepted at all rehab facilities. It is not accepted by all doctors. And it does not cover all therapies. It covers some inpatient rehabilitation but does not cover all necessary room and board. It does not cover any expenses for her family to be by her side through rehabilitation, so important for her healing and our healing. Jess will not be able to live at home for some time. Three weeks into this, the family had already spent $20,000 in housing, legal, and medical costs. The support we are looking for would help us set up a Special Needs Trust to cover expenses for Jess that are not covered by Medi-Cal.
All who know her know that she will do much good in the world...she just needs our help to move past this obstacle. Your prayers and positive energy have gotten her this far. We would so appreciate anything you can do to help get her through rehabilitation.
Jess has battled with health issues her entire life. She was born with a congenital heart defect and had her first open heart surgery when she was 18 months old, her second at 2 years old and her third at 3 years old. As a young adult, at age 21, she had her 4th surgery, this time replacing her deformed heat valve with a mechanical valve. She's battled with pneumonia and asthma and anemia. She is currently in the hardest battle of her life.
On August 31st she experienced a massive inter-cerebral hemorrhage. The pain was excruciating. She called her boyfriend Colin, saying that her head was exploding. He rushed to her side and seeing her incapacitated with pain called 911. She slipped into a coma and had brain surgery that evening to remove the hematoma and relieve the pressure in her head. She had a second brain surgery a week later on September 6th to further relieve pressure. In both cases they had to remove part of her brain. In between the surgeries she has been fighting pneumonia, had to be resuscitated after her heart began to fail her, and has fought a number of issues that have yet to be fully diagnosed.
She has begun to awaken from her coma. We have every reason to believe that she will survive. We are praying that she will do so much more than that. We believe with time and rehabilitation, she will flourish. Jess is resilient, determined, and strong of spirit. She is eager to fulfill her dreams.
Before she was struck with this illness, Jess was studying biology at the University of California in Santa Barbara. If you asked her why she was studying biology, she would simply say that she wanted to save the world. Then people would smile and say, "that's great". Those of us who know Jess understand what she means when she says that. She told me once that she would love to explain to someone how studies have demonstrated biological means of sequestering green-house gas emissions could have a significant impact on global warming, or that we are working on bio-engineering biodegradable "plastic" out of things like algae and mushrooms, but they get lost in the details, so she just says she wants to save the world.
Jess doesn't need to be famous, or remembered, or in charge. She just wants to make a difference and I have every confidence that she will. She wants to work with a team of people who are trying to do good in the world, however she can be of help. Most recently she has been focused on projects to solve the problem of islands of plastic floating in the Pacific. She enjoys her work at PISCO labs because she was part of something bigger, a project that was studying the effects of climate change on the marine ecosystem in coastal waters in an effort to impact large-scale policy. She was preparing to study abroad in Costa Rica so that she could be part of a team dedicated to the rescue, release and rehabilitation of local wildlife with a combined focus on conservation, biodiversity, and balancing the local ecosystem in the Costa Rican rain forest. She has a remarkable mind, fascinated with science and the world, an inquisitive mind that challenges the way we think, and a beautiful soul driven to make the world a better place.
Jess is also a great humanitarian and a good friend to everyone. She would sit up all night with a friend with a broken heart, she would hold the hand of a friend as she suffered through the ICU with her own serious health condition, she would help friends overcome addictions and get through depression, she would be the first one to say, "okay, I'll help you move", she's just that kind of person. She has never judged another person, but has always forgiven. I remember a call I received from her after she had started a new class and the teaching assistant was being unreasonable -- she had been on a class wait list and had just gotten admitted to class that morning so was unable to get the necessary books ahead of class, the TA had no compassion for her situation and instead suggested the class was above her abilities -- she was stressed and sad because she had looked forward to the class. I asked her what she was going to do about it and she told me she would be extra nice to him; she said, "maybe he was having a bad day, maybe he needs a friend." She gives tough love when it's needed and a helping hand when that is more in order. I'm sure her friends can give more complete examples of who she is, but I just know that she is the best person I know, more kind and giving than anyone else in my life. I wish I were half the person she is.
Jess is only 28 years old. Her life is still beginning. She has so much to bring to world.
The doctors tell us that she will have a long uphill battle and rehabilitation could take years. But she has surprised the doctors so far, and has lived through days they feared she would not. They also tell us she may have lost her vision, motor skills, even memories. But they are already seeing that she has some vision, some motor skills, some memories and she has only begun to wake up. Jess will fulfill her dreams and will change the world. However, she needs our help to get through all of the rehabilitation.
When Jess had her brain hemorrhage, we needed to withdraw her from UCSB. She lost her housing, her financial aid, and we learned quickly, her health insurance. We did not know that when she lost her insurance, she would not have COBRA available through the university system. We did not know that the insurance ends at the end of the summer quarter instead of the end of the month. She was over 26 so we could not put her on our insurance. We scrambled and got her on Medi-Cal. Unfortunately, Medi-Cal is not accepted at all rehab facilities. It is not accepted by all doctors. And it does not cover all therapies. It covers some inpatient rehabilitation but does not cover all necessary room and board. It does not cover any expenses for her family to be by her side through rehabilitation, so important for her healing and our healing. Jess will not be able to live at home for some time. Three weeks into this, the family had already spent $20,000 in housing, legal, and medical costs. The support we are looking for would help us set up a Special Needs Trust to cover expenses for Jess that are not covered by Medi-Cal.
All who know her know that she will do much good in the world...she just needs our help to move past this obstacle. Your prayers and positive energy have gotten her this far. We would so appreciate anything you can do to help get her through rehabilitation.
Co-organizers (2)
Crystal Gonzales
Organizer
Goleta, CA
Megan Breazeale
Beneficiary
Cynthia Breazeale
Co-organizer