James and Gina's Time of Need

Let me introduce myself, I am Jamie’s twin sister Jen.  Late in the afternoon of Monday, October 27, 2019, I received a call from Gina, my sister in law who was in the Philippines caring for her mother with stage 4 breast cancer.  Given the time difference, I thought to myself, “this can’t be good”.  Gina informed me that, “Jamie is in the hospital (in Florida where they live) and I don’t know why.”  It turns out that James was found in his apartment suffering from a severe stroke.  He was sadly home alone when stricken by the stroke and the best we can estimate is that he was alone at home for 4-5 hours following the stroke. 

When he did not arrive at work on Monday his school thankfully initiated a wellness visit and he was rushed to a local hospital.  When he arrived at the hospital, he was non-communicative, and his right side was totally paralyzed.  Following initial testing a neurologist immediately performed surgery to remove a clot found in his brain.  He has now been moved to Tampa General Hospital where he remains in ICU and where they are more fully equipped to stabilize him and better support his recovery. 

At this point, James has started to slowly regain movement in his right side and mouth words. His rehabilitation outcome is uncertain, however, will at a minimum take several months. 



This may seem challenging enough but, that is only part of the story…….

Jamie and I, both have a genetic condition called Myotonic Dystrophy… a form of muscular dystrophy.  We never realized we had this condition until I went into cardiac arrest 3 times during a minimally invasive surgery earlier this year.  My Myotonic Dystrophy symptoms are fairly mild, whereas Jamie’s symptoms much more severe.  

Myotonic Dystrophy has a wide range of symptoms, affecting each person differently.  In my case, it affected the electrical part of my heart.  Jamie also has heart issues and we both had implantable cardioverter defibrillators implanted within 3 months of each other this year.  In addition to his heart, Jamie’s symptoms also include severe muscle wasting in his lower legs and arms, difficulty breathing, swallowing issues, speech issues, in addition to apathy and social issues.  As a result of his multiple symptoms, he has had numerous hospitalizations for pneumonia and heart issues.

On learning of Jamie’s condition, Gina immediately returned from the Philippines to be by his side.  While sitting in the ICU with Jamie on Monday November 4, 2019 Gina sadly received a call from her sister in the Philippines.  Gina’s mother had passed away following her long battle with breast cancer. 

Up until his stroke, Jamie worked as a teacher at a private charter school supporting underprivileged and troubled children.  This work is symbolic of Jamie and his dedication and care for those in need. Well, now Jamie and Gina are in need of prayers and support.  As of November 6, 2019, he has been in the ICU for 10 days and has a long way road to recovery.  He also has pneumonia and his weakened lungs as a result of myotonic dystrophy are as concerning as the stoke.  Gina had been on family medical leave for the past month to be with her mother.  Jamie now has no income and no short or long term disability and for the foreseeable future will be fully dependent on Gina’s modest income from her work. 

This situation is hard enough and only worsened with the significant increase in financial insecurity!  We truly appreciate and ask for your support in their true time of need. No support is too small, with donations going to support their day to day living expenses and extensive medical bills.  Bless you for your support.