Jessica Sharp's Medical Relief Fund

For the past seven years, Jessica Sharp, a loving mother of three, has been suffering from Colitis, a chronic digestive disease characterized by inflammation of the colon's inner lining. This disease has worsened over the past several years for Jessica. As her condition has worsened, she is now at risk of life-threatening issues, including stroke and heart attack. She must begin invasive treatment to help her overcome these life-threatening issues. In order to do so, Jessica requires support from her community. Support that will ultimately save her life.

Seven years ago, Jessica began to experience severe constipation, which led to extreme pain in her lower abdomen and rectal bleeding. She was admitted to a hospital, where she learned that her colon was severely atrophied. They determined that she had colitis and that this disease made it extremely difficult for her colon to function correctly. This improper functionality of her colon led to intense constipation.

Doctors have prescribed everything they could think of to help, but her issues have persisted. She deals with constipation every day of her life. Regularly she may have to suffer through an entire month before she can use the bathroom. This intensity of constipation has led to constant hospital visits, where the backing up of her colon causes her to endure severe abdominal pain. During her last visit to the hospital, she described her pain as feeling like she was going to die.

(Jessica, being tended to by her daughter Olivia in the hospital)

On top of this, her complications with her colon have caused her to become anemic, a condition in which you lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to your body's tissues. This diagnosis has further worsened her colitis and constipation problems and created a plethora of additional symptoms, including chronic nausea and fatigue. These symptoms have made it increasingly harder for Jessica to attend work. Many days her abdominal pain, nausea and fatigue become too intense for her to leave her bed. Her inability to attend work regularly has made it increasingly difficult for Jessica to support herself and her daughter. She is constantly confronted with the decision to pay for her bills or pay to put food on the table.

These last seven years of pain and torment have caused Jessica to spiral into a deep depressive state, wondering if she will ever live a healthy, happy life, rid of her conditions.

As if these issues weren’t enough, a recent diagnosis informed her that her anemia is causing her body to produce an excessive amount of platelets, an incurable disease called Thrombocytosis. An increase in platelets means her body will start to form an exorbitant amount of blood clots, putting her at risk of life-threatening complications such as stroke and heart attack.

Doctors have decided that it is urgent to begin invasive procedures if we are to save her from these life-threatening issues. The first of which is to perform a colectomy, a procedure where her colon will be removed entirely in an attempt to allow waste to pass through her small intestine. Her colon has become so atrophied that it is beyond saving, so removing it and allowing her waste to pass through her small intestine should relieve her seven year-long fight with constipation and cure her colitis.

Additionally, doctors want to perform a total hysterectomy. One of the contributing factors to her anemia is her heavy periods. Removing her uterus will allow her body to keep more of her blood. Doctors say that this procedure makes her chances of recovering from anemia very high.

These procedures will help Jessica build her body back to strength to fight her other condition, and in turn, help save her life.

This is where Jessica is in need of support from her community. Given the intensity of these procedures, Jessica may be out of work for 4-5 months. Due to her having to miss work on a regular basis because of her condition, she has used up all of her medical leave. So any time off she takes moving forward means no income. Jessica is like so many people in this country where she lives paycheck to paycheck, so having five months of no income means she won’t be able to provide for herself and her daughter, who is dependent on her support.

By donating to her fundraiser, you would help save Jessica’s life. You would help save a woman who always puts others' needs before hers, a cherished friend and family member, and a mother of three.

Please consider donating as any amount will help pay for food, medical expenses, bills, and anything else Jessica will need to recover from her surgeries properly. Jessica will need to be looked after during her recovery, so any additional funding will go towards the family taking time off work to care for her.

Please also consider taking a few moments to share this GoFundMe with the people in your community. The more people we reach, the better chance we have to help Jessica on her path to recovery.

We greatly appreciate your time and efforts.

With our deepest gratitude,

Jessica’s family and support team