Thank you for stopping by our page. I’m here to introduce you to my sister Jill and tell you about her story. For those of you that are close with my family you are aware that Jill is a very special girl. In 1976 when Jill was a healthy young toddler at the age of two years old she got very sick. Jill contracted viral encephalitis and slipped into a coma that lasted five and a half weeks. During the 5th week of Jill’s coma she went into cardiac arrest and essentially died. They were able to resuscitate her and bring her back to life but at that point her brain had lost oxygen for too long and the damage had been done. From that moment forward Jill would spend her entire life with severe brain damage. The doctors told my mother she would be a vegetable for the rest of her life if she ever woke up, and then when she did wake up they told her not to expect her to live past the age of 18. I’m proud to report that in January we will be celebrating Jill’s 40th birthday!

My mother is an amazingly strong woman who dedicated her life to raising her children while working fulltime. Her husband at the time (Jill’s father) could not handle what had happened to Jill and picked up one day and left my mother alone with two children (my brother and sister) one of which who obviously was extremely sick. You know what they say though, everything happens for a reason because she later met my dad and was blessed with me! She often tells me giving birth to me restored her faith. My dad who is also a great man accepted the duty of father to Jill and RJ when he met my mom. 

Jill has spent her entire life in and out of hospitals, having, procedures, and suffering with broken bones from falling time and time again. Through all of it though Jill rarely ever complained or asked for anything. Jill has just always been happy to be with her family and to be alive. She’s a very smart cookie but has the emotional and mental capacity of a young child. When I asked my mom to describe Jill she said Jill is a loving, caring young woman with an endless determination that has brought her this far in her life.  If you were to ask me, I would just tell you she is my butthead big sister!

Jill recently underwent another major elective surgery to hopefully stabilize, and even improve her condition as it deteriorates as she gets older. Jill had what’s called a Baclofen Pump installed in her torso which has a direct line to her spine that delivers a constant drip of nerve medication. With Jill’s condition she has very limited to no use of the entire left side of her body. This medication will hopefully help her body function better as she adapts to it. My mother told me that when they tested the medication on Jill she saw her open her left hand for the first time since Jill was two years old and immediately broke down in tears of joy. We all remain hopeful for continued improvment and success.

Now that you know more about my sister Jill let me tell you briefly about what we are trying to do for her. We’d like to take her on a family vacation to where else but Disney World for her 40th birthday celebration. There is nothing that would make Jill happier than being at the happiest place on earth with all of the people she loves. Unfortunately Jill is not very mobile these days though and it is very difficult for my mom to get her around from place to place on her own. In order to get Jill down to FL we would need to pay for one of her aids to join on the trip to assist with her mobility and care taking. With your help we will be able to bring all of Jill’s loved ones together to throw her a celebration she will be sure to never forget! Thank you for taking the time to read Jill’s story and contributing to her happiness.

Love the Belonzi/Bradford family.