Judy Freeman's Medical/Family Fund

As many of you know, Judy has been seriously ill since early in April of this year.  What began simply as fatigue and a feeling of being unstable in her legs, has progressed into something very serious that has seen Judy lose her ability to walk, caused difficulty with breathing and swallowing and a complete loss of the ability to care for herself.  She continues to be hospitalized and the prognosis is uncertain at best.

Although she has been under constant care from physicians, the cause of her difficulties has yet to be identified.  Diagnoses have ranged from auto-immune disorders, to encephalopathy and, most currently, the doctors have identified encephalitis of her brain stem.  None of these diagnoses seem to clearly define her problem and her friends, family, and caretakers continue to be frustrated at the lack of a clear diagnosis.  After massive amounts of testing and numerous theories, her condition continues to worsen and no clear end can be seen.

At the onset of this illness, Judy was a vibrant, charismatic friend, colleague, and mother caring for others and sharing her sense of humor and warmth with all. She earned the affectionate and appropriate nickname of Judy Bling-Bling from her friends and brought a smile to the faces of all she touched.  She was working on achieving her medical assistant certification from Lower Columbia College and provided love and support to her boys every day.  All of this has been put on hold because of an illness with no name that has stolen so much from her and those around her.

Throughout this endless process, Judy’s husband John has been by her side nearly 24 hours a day.  He tirelessly cares for her and maintains hope for her recovery faithfully. Judy was a significant contributor to the family’s finances and now her illness has robbed both her and John of the ability to provide for their family.  Unexpected and unplanned for expenses continue to mount and they are in need of the support from their friends and loved ones to make ends meet.