Support Jamie's Healing Journey

My name is Robyn, and I am the creator of this GoFundMe. I’ve known Jamie for over eight years. Like many in our community, I was introduced to her through her massage and holistic health business in Stevens Point. Over the course of our friendship, I’ve gotten to know Jamie on a personal level and even had the privilege of marrying her and her husband in 2022.

Jamie has spent the last decade dedicating herself to our community through her massage practice, yoga and meditation classes, and women’s gatherings. She has helped thousands of people through her essential oil and hemp oil classes, and in more recent years, devoted herself to working with native plants and land restoration. Whether through her healing business, working with the land, or engaging with the community, her purpose has always been to help make the world a better place. Jamie is always one of the first to donate to GoFundMe campaigns, charities, and fundraisers. Now, it is time for our community to give back for all of the love, time, and energy she has poured into us.

Jamie needs our community now more than ever. She has been off work since mid-November. What began as two weeks of a respiratory infection ended with two ER visits and an ambulance ride to Marshfield Hospital. On Thanksgiving, Jamie began experiencing numbness in her feet and hands. This numbness continued to spread throughout her body, leading to near-total paralysis. She was unable to walk, talk, or see for four days. After an MRI, CT scan, EKG, and viral, autoimmune, and Lyme disease panels, doctors discovered, through a spinal tap, that she had transverse myelitis. With this diagnosis, they were able to start her on IV steroids, which stopped the paralysis from affecting her organs.

Jamie spent eleven days in the hospital. During that time, she had to relearn how to walk, brush her teeth, and bathe herself. She slowly regained her vision, though at first, it was blurry, and she experienced double vision for a week. She also suffered from cognitive impairment and short-term memory loss. When she could finally walk with a walker, she did so dragging one foot, and when reaching for something, her hand and arm would tremor. During her time in the hospital, it was uncertain what the long-term outlook would be, and her family began preparing for in-home care for someone with long-term disabilities.

When the hospital discharged her on December 11, she still had full-body numbness. To her, it felt as though each of her limbs had 20-pound weights on them. She was able to move around with a walker, and cognitively, she was improving. However, for the next few weeks, she experienced severe brain fog, short-term memory issues, and extreme fatigue. As of the beginning of January, Jamie continues to heal each day, both cognitively and physically. She can walk on her own but still experiences numbness throughout her body, which may take months to fully resolve. As her nerves heal, she’s also experiencing regenerative neuropathic pain that feels like unbearable itching and burning at times. Her feet also begin to hurt after standing for just five minutes or longer, and it still feels as if she has 2-pound weights on each of her limbs. While her memory has mostly returned, she still experiences some brain fog at times and can suddenly become fatigued, needing to sit or lie down. She has also been suffering with PTSD from the trauma of experiencing the loss of control of her body and mind and from the critical first four days in the hospital.

We are incredibly thankful for the progress Jamie has made in her healing journey. Many people who suffer from myelitis end up with heart attacks, require ventilators, or become wheelchair-bound for life. We believe her recovery has been, in part, due to her determination to heal and the immense gratitude she felt from the loving support of her community through their prayers and messages.

Although she has made remarkable progress and continues to heal, her journey with myelitis is not over. Due to ongoing physical pain and fatigue, it may still be another month or two before Jamie can return to work. She does not have short-term disability, and by the time she would qualify for long-term disability, she will most likely no longer need it. With mounting medical bills, utilities, and everyday expenses, the financial burden is overwhelming for her and her family. Instead of focusing solely on her recovery, she has had to worry about the financial strain this condition has caused.

Jamie and her family have already endured so much, from the frightening experience of myelitis to the prolonged hospital stay and the uncertainty about her future. She has spent much of her life giving to others, and now it is time for our community to give back to her.