Hi Facebook friends and Oconnell alumni!!!!
I have been in close contact with my one of my dearest friends from High School and she is going through a very rough time. Trish has been very private with her current situation until now because I convinced her that its ok to reach out and I am positive her friends would want to know what she is going through. I have been keeping in close contact with her daughter Josey who has been handling this unfortunate situation with much strength and a positive attitude.
Here is the situation that her daughter, Josey sent me in her own words.
On the 20th of May 2021, (my mom) Trish received the 2nd Moderna vaccination. Shortly after the vaccination she experienced flu like
symptoms for two days (which is not too uncommon). She then started to have sharp pains in her feet and then started to effect her hands. After much discomfort and trouble walking she thought it would subside but then she started to have numbness all over her body and then became extremely weak. It all happened so quickly, where I had to do everything for her. On the 4th of June the pain and weakness took a
turn for the worst and we decided it was time to go to St. Marys Hospital and spent 10 hours there waiting mostly in the waiting room. The tests they ran showed nothing abnormal. They encouraged her to follow up with a neurologist and to do further tests for diabetes.
We came back home and moved her down to my room so that I could help her walking to the bathroom and taking care of her with her
every day needs.
On June 17th she had an appointment with her General Practitioner to run some more tests and try to get to the bottom of what is
happening to her. At this time my mom is needing a wheel chair for she is not able to walk at this point. We went home and then got a call
that her sodium level is low 124 (normal 135) and told her to go to the ER again.
June 18th we headed to the Henrico Doctors hospital . They kept her overnight initially to raise her sodium levels. However they knew the sodium level wasn't the only cause of what was going on. They ran a ton of more tests which didn't show much of anything but low sodium and the results from the spinal tap there is high protein in her spinal fluid. They treated her for both but unfortunately there is no change.
She discharged herself on the the 26th of June.
Once we got home I could instantly tell that she was worse than the 18th of June. I could barely lift her up.
June 27th when I was attempting to get her to the bathroom she blacked out. Thank God I was holding her tight, she did not get hurt. I laid her down on the ground thankfully without injury.
Knowing now that she is not mobile I could not do this by myself. We called her doctors and said to take her to VCU ER Hospital. So I called for an ambulance. I have been visiting her in the VCU Neurology unit and after a ton of doctors and a ton of tests and watching her deteriorate more and more, a test result came back for Sjogrens.
It is a autoimmune disease that attacks the nerves in her body. It is treatable and we are hoping for a full recovery.
Since her diagnosis she has been transferred to the physical rehab center to help her regain her ability to walk and hope to regain full use of her hands.
As most of you know Trish's parents passed away several years ago. She doesn't have much family left and no-one is in the area where she lives. I am hoping that we can raise some financial support for her to get her over this rough time and some emotional support. I know she would do what she could for anyone she knows and honestly for even those she doesn't know. Thank you all for your support in advance. Please feel free to share this with your Facebook friends. Hope all is well with my Facebook friends and their families.
Thank you
Kimberly Taiedi Francis
Josey Howell /Cameron Howell