Mariah Cree Woosley-Taylor Memorial Fund
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Cristy Taylor. My husband Josh and I along with our kids Finn and Marcy are speaking in memory of our beautiful daughter and sister Mariah Cree Woosley-Taylor. Unfortunately after a summer long battle with Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever, Mariah’s immune system could no longer endure the complications and she passed away on the 5th of October, 2021. She was an amazingly unique artist. Ever since she was old enough to grip Crayola’s and chew on Sharpie’s, she has been painting our walls, floors, halls, and refrigerator doors with all the colors of the wind. Her insight and wisdom of humanity put her years beyond her peers, Her appreciation for life showed thru the simplicity of her behavior and choices, and her love of the universe shows thru the cosmic bliss in the art she created.
Mariah’s death has been a catastrophe for our family, especially knowing it could have been prevented thru detecting the culprit earlier. Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever (RMSF) is a rare but more commonly occurring serious illness that if not treated soon enough, can become fatal. A person can become inflicted with RMSF from being bitten by or handling a tick that is infected with a bacteria known as R. Rickettsia. It was first discovered in the Rocky Mt. regions, yet has spread throughout the Southern United States. The bacteria R. Rickettsia continues to expand its range, traveling on as many as 1 in every 1000 ticks of various species. It is currently being studied by scientist to determine the impact it has on the eco-system it invades.
This little known bacteria can become such a tragedy due to being undetectable for several weeks and then difficult to identify once active. The severity of the symptoms suffered vary from person to person yet initially mimic symptoms from commonly occurring illnesses such as the flu or common cold. This tick-borne illness is responsible for an elevated fever and chills that come and go for days at a time, mind splitting headaches that won’t go away, muscles burning as though you had run a marathon, nausea, vomiting, swelling of the feet and ankles, circulation difficulties in the extremities, itchy skin associated with a “Spotted” rash known to doctors as Petychia, If left untreated the rash of blood vessels increase and appear to form patches as the circulation of blood flow is decreased from swelling as the function of internal organs begin to cease.
Our hope is to promote awareness of this and other dreaded Tick-Borne Illnesses, by helping maintain a conscious awareness of the threat of these parasites and the bacteria they carry. Please remember, early detection is crucial to recovery. If you fall prey to a mysterious fever or an unexplainable rash, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor if you can have blood drawn and tested specifically for tick related bacteria and diseases, especially if it’s summer time in the South.
It is with regret and sadness that we failed to help Mariah early enough, assuming she was only “catching a cold” or just “coming down with something” in early summer. By mid June her trip to the hospital was still inconclusive regarding her condition and the need for a heart valve replacement was addressed. Thru July the fever would come and go as she anticipated a visit to the Cardiologist, but by August despite the prescriptions and attention to health Mariah had to be admitted to the hospital for several weeks, still for supposed heart failure. Continued sampling and testing finally revealed our nemesis was Tick fever and treatment was started. Unfortunately, the bacteria had ultimately had too much time to take its toll on her spleen, liver, then kidneys and finally her heart and then ours.
Her presence was a gift and her laugh infectious.
She was the magick that brought us together shortly out of high school.
She was the little girl begging for a little brother, and then, “now a little sister?”
She was a poet and a seer, a lover of music and the spheres of sound.
She was an artist that lived to create, worlds of cosmic bliss.
“ fly on,,,,
my sweet angel...
fly on,,,,
thru the sky..... “
Mariah’s death has been a catastrophe for our family, especially knowing it could have been prevented thru detecting the culprit earlier. Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever (RMSF) is a rare but more commonly occurring serious illness that if not treated soon enough, can become fatal. A person can become inflicted with RMSF from being bitten by or handling a tick that is infected with a bacteria known as R. Rickettsia. It was first discovered in the Rocky Mt. regions, yet has spread throughout the Southern United States. The bacteria R. Rickettsia continues to expand its range, traveling on as many as 1 in every 1000 ticks of various species. It is currently being studied by scientist to determine the impact it has on the eco-system it invades.
This little known bacteria can become such a tragedy due to being undetectable for several weeks and then difficult to identify once active. The severity of the symptoms suffered vary from person to person yet initially mimic symptoms from commonly occurring illnesses such as the flu or common cold. This tick-borne illness is responsible for an elevated fever and chills that come and go for days at a time, mind splitting headaches that won’t go away, muscles burning as though you had run a marathon, nausea, vomiting, swelling of the feet and ankles, circulation difficulties in the extremities, itchy skin associated with a “Spotted” rash known to doctors as Petychia, If left untreated the rash of blood vessels increase and appear to form patches as the circulation of blood flow is decreased from swelling as the function of internal organs begin to cease.
Our hope is to promote awareness of this and other dreaded Tick-Borne Illnesses, by helping maintain a conscious awareness of the threat of these parasites and the bacteria they carry. Please remember, early detection is crucial to recovery. If you fall prey to a mysterious fever or an unexplainable rash, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor if you can have blood drawn and tested specifically for tick related bacteria and diseases, especially if it’s summer time in the South.
It is with regret and sadness that we failed to help Mariah early enough, assuming she was only “catching a cold” or just “coming down with something” in early summer. By mid June her trip to the hospital was still inconclusive regarding her condition and the need for a heart valve replacement was addressed. Thru July the fever would come and go as she anticipated a visit to the Cardiologist, but by August despite the prescriptions and attention to health Mariah had to be admitted to the hospital for several weeks, still for supposed heart failure. Continued sampling and testing finally revealed our nemesis was Tick fever and treatment was started. Unfortunately, the bacteria had ultimately had too much time to take its toll on her spleen, liver, then kidneys and finally her heart and then ours.
Her presence was a gift and her laugh infectious.
She was the magick that brought us together shortly out of high school.
She was the little girl begging for a little brother, and then, “now a little sister?”
She was a poet and a seer, a lover of music and the spheres of sound.
She was an artist that lived to create, worlds of cosmic bliss.
“ fly on,,,,
my sweet angel...
fly on,,,,
thru the sky..... “
Organizer
Cristy Taylor
Organizer
Fairland, OK