Joining Together for Jacque
Hello, everyone. My name is Laken Hawkes, and I am a friend of Jacque's. As most of you know, Jacque is a mother, an entrepaneur and small business owner, a gifted massage therapist, and amazing friend. She has an amazing sense of humour, heart of gold, and contagious smile- making it nothing short of a blessing having her in my life. But this story isn't about how her and I met, it's about where we are today. I write this as I sit in her hospital room, thinking of ways to bring any kind of hope, support, or relief to her that I can....
So let me back it up a bit and explain how we got here in the first place. Over the last month, Jacque has had headaches. Headaches that turned into migraines making it very difficult for her to work, eat, think, or even sleep a lot of days. Jacque, being the trooper that she is, decided about a week ago to take herself to the Texas Med Clinic in hopes of getting some relief, however got none. Another couple of day or so passed, and I sent her a text seeing how she was. She said no better, and was considering going to the ER. So I went to pick her up from her apartment, and I knew the minute that I saw her- she was in trouble. We got to the ER, and not long after her CT scan a doctor came in with the news.... Jacque had an aneursym in her brain and was going to need surgery immediatley. It was then that I knew this wasn't going to be just any trip to the ER where she'd get fluids, some pain meds and go home. This was going to be the beginning of a life changing experience for my Jacque. So we sat there, and I held her hand trying not to cry, and Jacque being Jacque smiled and could only say "well damn! I've got clients to see!", and for anyone that knows her, that shouldn't come as a surprise. From there, the admissions lady came and spoke with her, and that is when I found out that Jacque does not have health insurance. And we knew that this wasn't going to be a quick visit. So on top of the fear and stress and pain of everything else going on within her, there lied another hurdle.
That next day was surgery #1. The plan was to use the "coil method" which involved gaining access to the aneursym through the femoral artery- however, this surgery was not successful due to the size and nature of the clot itself. We needed a plan B. Jacque came out of surgery, hungry, tired, and wanting sweet tea... but only to find that she would need another surgery later that evening to trap and clamp the artery. Only this time, surgery #2 involved a craniotomy to gain access to the aneursym. The doctors and nurses explained in detail what was going to happen, along with what could potentially happen afterwards. And with a gleam of determination in her eye, Jacque smiled, signed the papers, and said "Well it beats the alternative!". And that, couldn't be any more close to the truth. Jacque is a fighter, and wasn't going to go down easily. So the evening came, the surgery proceeded, and she came out around midnight. The neurosergeon explained to us what he had done, and where he had hoped to go from here. During this talk, he explained that Jacque was experiencing paralysis on her entire left side- creating a major cause for concern.
So here we are today... and Jacque's battle has only begun. She will spend the next couple of weeks in the Neurological Intensive Care Unit, from there be stepped down to a lower level floor within the hospital, and then eventually allowed to go home where the battle will continue. Jacque will have several months of exhausting therapy ahead of her, have to put her business to the side and find new ways of doing things while she adjusts from her surgery.
This will not be easy.
And that is why I write to you... to ask you to please shower Jacque in love and support over the next several months as she acclimates to these changes. To be there for her in any way that you can. Not having health insurance and taking care of her upcoming medical expenses is going to be a major hurdle that Jacque will have to overcome. So I ask.... for those of you who can, please donate to her cause. Be it $5 or $5,000. Perhaps cook her a meal when she makes it home. Send her a card in the mail, or shoot her a thoughtful text message. Any kind of encouragment would be a blessing. Jacque is the type of person that would give you the shirt off of her back, and has done so much good for other people. She is the friend that people turn to when they need help, when they need a shoulder to cry on, or even just need a hand to hold. There's Jacque. So please, if you can, find it within your heart to help in any way possible- and I promise you, it will be appreciated so incredibly much.
Keep Jacque in your hearts for healing, peace, patience, and strength as she and her family go through this difficult time. Thanks, and God Bless each of you.
-Laken
