Life Changing Surgery for Nicole Jacks

To know Nicole 10 years ago would be to know a young, vibrant mother of two daughters; boisterous and full of laughter and endless energy. You knew a girl who taught Pilates, led groups of homeschoolers, taught kids and women in her local church, and loved to laugh and talk with friends. And she did all of this while holding down the home front during multiple deployments as a military spouse. You knew a girl who was loved by everyone she met; a girl who would bend over backwards to help anyone, and a girl who was full of life.


Fast forward ten years and now you only
know a shell of that person. One riddled with pain and isolated in her own body. A girl who is unable to hang out with friends because she only has so many words per day, and chooses to give those to her closest family. Daily, Nicole must choose whether to eat or talk to her family.

But honestly, you probably wouldn’t even notice because you see a girl who is tougher than most people will ever realize. A girl who must take twenty-one pills every day causing her to spend most days zoned out like a zombie. You see a girl who has a handicapped parking permit, but chooses not to use it very often because she doesn’t want to take the space from others.(The wind often triggers shocks in her face so fierce they knock her off of her feet.)

 The world only sees a girl who still puts on a big smile every time she sees you, even though the very act causes physical pain. A girl who has been on a mostly liquid diet for 10 years, but still cooks for her family every night. A girl who still watches 4 year olds at church because she remembers what it’s like to be in the trenches as a mom with young ones (although she can only do it every other week so that she can physically recuperate).

The toughest person you know has been hiding in plain sight. Here is her story:

 In the winter of 2011 Nicole fell down the stairs in her home; an event which triggered a health crisis that continues to this day.  Falling onto her tailbone and jamming her spine upwards gave her a concussion. The concussion, causing balance issues, led to multiple falls on her face within the following month. These numerous falls led to severe nerve damage and a traumatic jaw injury. The jaw injury has presented itself in multiple ways which has led doctors on a wild goose chase ever since.

Nerve injuries in her face have led to a trigeminal neuralgia(TN) diagnosis which causes severe shocking, burning, stabbing, and aching pains in her face throughout the day. (This is commonly referred to as the “suicide disease” because of the  excruciating pain with no known relief available.) To combat this, she is on a heavy regiment of nerve suppressant drugs and narcotics with an obvious long list of side effects.

 Although it is unproven, one of these side effects could have possibly led to the rectal cancer they discovered in 2018. Through a tough year of chemo and radiation, she was able to fight what could have very easily been a death sentence. As if cancer is not horrific enough, Nicole had to endure all of the terrifying and awful aspects of it while still in an enormous amount of pain from her jaw and TN.


She has had two brain surgeries in an effort to get some relieffrom the trigeminal neuralgia. The first MVD (microvascular decompression surgery) performed on the left side was successful. Although they have not completely stopped, it has reduced the frequency and severity of the attacks. The second MVD surgery performed on the right side, however, provided very little help. The cause of her nerve issues in her right side could be caused by, or at least aggravated by, the right jaw jointsurgery she also had. It is now a theory held by many of her doctors. 

In an effort to combat this problem at the source, Nicole underwent a major jaw surgery in 2016 in addition to the two brain surgeries. During this surgery they essentially cut her jaw off, put it back on, and inserted a partial joint on that right side. Since that surgery, Billy and Nicole learned that this partial joint was known to cause problems and per the FDA in 2015 should never have been installed. The doctor knew this. He knew this. But he did it anyway. And not only did he do it anyway, but he did such a horrible job installing the joint that it never properly healed. He kept telling Nicole “just wait six months, it’ll be better by then.” But it never did get better.

 Not only was this device considered damaging by the FDA, but the doctor also led Nicole and Billy to believe the artificial joint would be a permanent fix for Nicole’s pain. It was not. In the same warning letter issued by the FDA it is stated that the device, at best, would only work for a period of five years or less. Eventually this doctor stopped seeing Nicole and retired, unbothered by the fact that he had ruined countless lives. An article detailing the FDA’s warning letter to the company is below.

http://www.tmj.org/site/page?pageId=345 

That brings us to the reason for the GoFundMe. The artificial joint has to come out and the joint needs to be repaired. The artificial implant has eroded the joint and has left her jawbonegrinding against metal every time her mouth opens or closes. With so much damage from the previous surgery and injuries, she only gets one more good shot at doing this right.


Dr. Mark Piper in Saint Petersburg, FL specializes in repairing jaw joints from previously botched surgeries, and since this joint is so small and complicated it requires a very high degree of specialty to fix correctly. Dr. Piper is the best in the nation, but unfortunately he doesn’t accept military insurance. Billy and Nicole will also be required to travel back and forth many times throughout the year. Airfare and hotels will be a huge expense.

Here are the projected doctor fees:

Surgeon: $39,475
Neck Therapy: $1,750
Hospital, Radiologist, Pathology, Anesthesiology: $12,000-14,000

Total: $55,225

Nicole obviously isn’t able to work with her health conditions,which has left Billy working two jobs and multiple side hustles over the years to cover everything. One of his jobs is as a traditional reservist in the USAF Reserves, but due to government overspending, funding has dried up. He is no longer able to work his military duties for the remainder of the year and only 6 days per month for the foreseeable future. 

 While I know this time of year is challenging for most of us, please join us in showing this wonderful family that they are not alone. This surgery will be life changing not only for Nicole, but for her entire family. Please help us make it a reality.