Support Jessa heal on her journey with MS

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This GoFundMe was updated in April to reflect new developments in Jessa's health and treatment plan. As is often the case in undergoing intensive treatment, symptoms get worse before they get better. See below for the addition of Short-Term Disability to Jessa's plan.

My best friend Jessa is the most caring soul you’d be fortunate to meet. In March 2018, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and our worlds split into before and after.

MS is an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS) which is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves and controls everything we do. This attack damages myelin, the protective layer insulating nerve fibers, disrupting signals to and from the brain and causing unpredictable symptoms such as numbness, tingling, mood changes, memory problems, pain, fatigue, blindness and/or paralysis. MS is an “invisible disease ” as often symptoms aren’t visible - you would never be able to tell what someone with MS is suffering from just by looking at them.

Over the last two years, Jessa has started to experience these symptoms daily and simply being herself has become a struggle. Her quality of life has gotten very low, with little energy to engage with the people she loves, to care for herself, or do the activities that bring her joy like going to concerts, being with friends, going on hikes with her beloved dog Lou, traveling, advocacy work, and spending time in nature in the beautiful Rocky Mountains where she lives in Golden, CO. Although this is Jessa’s daily life, most people don’t see it. The invisibility of this disease makes it difficult to navigate old relationships that were developed when she didn’t have these limitations, and even more difficult to ask for help.

Jessa has always been the type of person who is the first to offer help and the last to ask for it. Jessa lives life from her heart and always strives for those around her to feel seen, loved, listened to, and have what they need. She’s always been the one to organize trips to bring our friends together, send birthday cards, plan a celebration, and be there when times are tough. Jessa is a social worker, activist, and advocate for human rights - and not just in her career. Countless times I’ve seen Jessa wait outside to monitor an intense situation that she noticed or overheard to ensure that everyone is safe, ask explicitly if there’s anything they need, and point them to resources that could help. Jessa has always taught me about the importance of being an active bystander - to not just walk away from situations that may cause harm, but to cultivate the courage and skill to help resolve it. Facing this disease takes courage and I trust that Jessa’s courage will be matched by that of many active bystanders from her community, family, and strangers alike who are inspired by her story and genuinely want to help.

Jessa’s disease has gotten to this point because traditional medicine offers little help to identify and treat the root cause of the disease. Although she goes to the top research hospital for MS in the state, her doctors have done little to address the intense brain fog and fatigue that Jessa experiences daily which has worsened to the point of making daily functioning near impossible. Jessa also has strong muscle spasticity and numbness through her arms, neck, and shoulders, vision issues in her left eye, twitching and bladder issues. These issues have worsened significantly over this past year, forcing Jessa to take two separate medical leaves at work, totaling over seven weeks, on top of additional sick days in between. Despite these immense challenges, Jessa has fought this disease gracefully, striving for a positive mindset every step of the way.

Even though Jessa is doing everything she can - meditating daily, spending the majority of the day resting, doing yoga, eating a highly specific anti-inflammatory nutrient-rich diet, physical therapy, and getting all the treatment Western medicine offers - she’s still sick the majority of the time.

That’s why we’re asking for help. From Jessa’s loved ones to kind strangers who feel called to contribute, we’re asking you to please give what you can so Jessa can get back her quality of life and baseline of health with 6 months of treatment.

Your contribution will cover the costs of the following treatments:

Functional Medicine: this holistic, person-centered treatment approach looks at how all systems in the body are functioning (or not) to identify what imbalances, deficiencies, and infections are the root cause of symptoms. This model has been effective in diagnosing and treating the underlying issues driving flares in people with MS. Even though Jessa’s symptoms have increased to the point of being unable to work or care for herself, her current doctors say there’s no more they can do aside from prescribing medication that only comes with more symptoms. It has been a blessing for Jessa to find Cornerstone Health Community where she begins treatment on January 13th, 2023. Although functional medicine is not typically covered by insurance, Cornerstone does everything it can to make its treatment accessible and maximize its patient's health benefits. They have instilled confidence in Jessa’s ability to heal, and hope is finally returning after years of feeling isolated and living in pain. Jessa plans to take a functional medicine approach with Cornerstone for at least 6 months which will include a series of comprehensive testing and lab work to get to the root of her disease progression and then utilize them as her Primary Care Physician which will b covered by insurance. The team of medical professionals will tailor a treatment plan specific to Jessa’s needs through supplementation, numerous therapies, and lifestyle support. The cost of visits with the doctor and tests will be at least $3,000.

Supplements: In the months where Jessa has experienced the most relief, she’s been taking numerous supplements. While she keeps up with some core supplements regularly, the cost adds up and paying out-of-pocket limits what she can take. At Cornerstone, extensive supplementation will be used to cure infection and deficiencies identified that have been driving her increased symptoms with the goal of returning her body to a state of homeostasis and optimal functioning. Based on the supplements that Jessa knows work and what she’s already been prescribed, this will cost at least $500 a month or $3000 over 6 months.

Acupuncture: treating with Chinese medicine has been another tool that has brought Jessa substantial relief but has not been affordable at the weekly frequency needed for her to sustain the benefits. Jessa is lucky to have found who I would argue is the most compassionate, genuine, and supportive acupuncturist in Colorado, Christine at Healing Arts Colorado. Treating weekly over 6 months will cost $3,000.

Short-Term Disability: Cornerstone has identified several infections and deficiencies that are very likely the cause of Jessa's worsening symptoms. As Jessa began treating these root causes, her health has gotten worse, which is often the case when the body is on overdrive working to heal and return to homeostasis. Her treatment plan includes many doctor appointments every week (8-12), which has only added additional stress. For Jessa to detox, she must remain as stress-free as possible. The release of cortisol only creates additional stressors on the body, limiting her body's ability to heal these root issues. For these reasons, Jessa's doctors have recommended that she take three months of leave from work. She is currently waiting to be approved for Short-Term disability which would pay her 60% of her wages, and if she's approved, our new fundraising goal will cover her lost wages so she's able to cover her expenses while off work. If she's not approved, we plan to increase the fundraising goal further so Jessa can have the time she needs to heal the root causes of these issues once and for all.

Jessa’s MS Journey:

Jessa started to experience unexplainable symptoms about two years before she was diagnosed with MS. It started with extreme muscle tension and a fiery tingling in her neck and shoulders, then began numbness on the upper right side of her body. She began having trouble controlling her bladder, feeling cognitively limited and the scariest of all was when we were doing errands one day and her vision began to tunnel into black. When she was diagnosed in March 2018, she immediately experienced a second MS attack. She lost all functioning of her right hand and most of her left, leaving her motor skills limited with the need to use adaptive equipment to work and complete daily tasks. She could write with great effort, but even one page in her journal would be extremely draining, with her beautiful handwriting shaky and hardly legible. She lost feeling from her chest down, had intense muscle cramping, bizarre nerve sensations, very weak bladder control, and lost almost complete vision in her left eye.

After getting diagnosed, Jessa began receiving a monthly infusion of Tysabri which is a Disease Modifying Treatment (DMT) that consists of a laboratory-produced monoclonal antibody injected intravenously, designed to hamper the movement of potentially damaging immune cells from the bloodstream, across the “blood-brain barrier” into the brain and spinal cord. DMTs are the only treatment that her doctors offer aside from medication for symptom management, which only results in more symptoms. They offer nothing to identify and treat the root causes of her disease. The symptoms Jessa experiences have become severe and she has more “sick days'' than not. Each month she’ll have a few “good” days where she can cook, do errands, or spend time with friends, but even a few hours of activity will leave her sicker the next day. As you can imagine, this is extremely isolating. Most of her energy reserves are used towards her work, even after recently switching jobs to accommodate the limitations she has experienced as her disease progressed. She has been pleading with her medical team for help and continues to hit a wall at every turn. In the MS world of medical professionals, if you’re not in a wheelchair then you’re considered on the healthier side, even if many days you have trouble walking, standing, cooking, and generally caring for yourself.

We know that we can prevent Jessa’s disease from progressing to this level with the proper care. We know that treatments such as functional medicine, acupuncture and craniosacral therapy, herbal supplements, and protocols that fight infection naturally have worked wonders for Jessa and others with MS, but without them covered by insurance, Jessa can’t afford them alone.

Jessa gives so much love to her friends, family, and everyone she meets. Asking for help is difficult, but we know that Jessa is so very loved and her community wants to know where she’s at and what they can do to help her get back on track. Our fundraising goal is enough for 6 months of treatment which we think will be enough to get her to a baseline where she can afford the monthly maintenance needed to get back to a normal life. Anything you can contribute is greatly appreciated, and if you feel called to share this among your networks, we are so very grateful.

Thank you!