Jill's Fight Against GP

Gastroparesis is a condition in which the spontaneous movement of the muscles in the stomach to move food through the digestive track do not function normally. The stomach is essentially paralyzed. Jill Thibault, A former three sport athlete in high school and attending college on a softball scholarship was diagnosed with this condition in January of 2012 during her senior year in college. Her symptoms began with feeling full after eating a just few bites, severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. She returned to college armed with Ensure, Pudding, Soup and Jell-O determined to play softball in her final year of eligibility. Little did she know that she was only at the beginning of a torturous roller coaster ride which she has been battling daily for the past 3 ½ years. Currently she relies on a Jejeunostomy tube (J-Tube), for feeding, A Gastric Tube (G-Tube) for venting / eliminating gastric fluids and now has a Hickman Catheter where she is receiving TPN nutrition, fluids and to draw blood. She is unable to eat and able to consume only minimal fluids by mouth. She was initially seen by a specialist at Dartmouth and is currently under the care of Dr. Henry Parkman from Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Parkman is a Harvard educated “Super – Specialist” in the field of Gastroenterology who has devoted his life to the research and treatment of Gastroparesis. Jill has had multiple surgeries including implantation of a Gastric stimulator which aids in the relief of the continuous nausea that she experiences. She also undergoes Endoscopic Botox injections in the Pylorus valve every 3-6 months. Unfortunately, her health has been on a steady decline over the past year. She is seen by a visiting nurse 2-3 times a week and is unable to work. She now has cardiac issues, frequent trips to the ER due to dehydration, fevers and infections. She generally has 2-3 lengthy admissions to the hospital a year. She is extremely immunocompromised at this time and unable to fight off infection. Somehow she manages to keep fighting when many in her shoes would have tossed in the towel long ago. She has always been a fighter...determined, devoted and dedicated to always perform to the best of her ability. Hopefully, there will be something that can be done medically to improve the quality of life for Jill and all of those suffering with this incredibly frustrating, debilitating disease.

Your donation will help with continued medical expenses as well as part of the donation going toward finding a cure for Gastroparesis! Help raise awareness! Help find a cure!