Critical EMERGENCY HELP needed for a Sick Single Mom.

**Please click read more and read from bottom of story up to get the full details.

Update 3/21/25: To make a long story short, Jana went to the oncologist this week. She was expecting to receive answers and all she received was confirmation that she has the HTT blood disorder (which she already knew), and she has severe iron deficient anemia. The doctor wanted to send her to a few more specialists (GI and Pulmonary) and follow back up with him in a couple of weeks. Due to the doctor telling her different things at different times when she has either seen or spoke with them She began feeling uneasy about the care she is receiving and decided to go ahead and begin the appointments with the HHT clinic at UAB in Birmingham. They have specialists within their group to check her heart, lungs, kidneys and GI track as well as more advanced technology than the doctors do in Anniston. They have the only MRI camera in the state that is set up to specifically look for AVMs that go with the HHT. She will also be able to get the bone marrow biopsy through them as well. This was a frustrating decision considering she has already put out $2500 towards all the tests and visits, not to mention the wages lost at work. But, switching to UAB is the smartest move for her health.

Unfortunately, her appointment is not for a few weeks and she still suffers daily with fatigue, weakness and exhaustion. She also has unexplainably lost over 20 pounds in just a couple of weeks.

And then there's the bills. Just as things were looking up and she was going to gain another patient, her employer decided they would no longer approve overtime. She lost that extra patient and there's now no chance of her making enough to survive each week. She signed on with the Walmart spark delivery service to try to make some extra cash, but she's very concerned the vehicle she is using will not make it much longer. She desperately needs to get her Jeep fixed which still needs a new engine, or find a way to get a new mode of transportation.

All this being said, she still desperately needs financial assistance, help and prayers. Any and all help is extremely appreciated!

Update 3/11/25: There will be a medical update hopefully next week. Jana will be going to see the Oncologist again on 3/19/25 to get the latest lab results and to have her blood levels rechecked. The oncologist said that they have to make sure her blood levels are stable and there is no active bleeding out before she can have the bone marrow biopsy procedure done safely.

House Fire: Yesterday morning Jana woke up to screams of the word fire. A plug in her oldest son’s room shorted out and caught a flag he had hanging on the wall above it on fire. The plug shot out sparks and ignited the flag. Luckily it was able to be put out quickly but Jana had to call the fire department because the plug was still smoking and the wall was still hot and room was full of smoke. The fireman made sure the fire was out but said that until they have an electrician come out to check the wiring inside the wall that she better leave the power off to that part of the house. On the other side of this wall is where they make most of the food they eat. So they need the power back on to it soon. They stayed up most of the night last night moving Isaac’s room to the den until Jana is able to afford to get this all fixed. Jana has already sold their den furniture and family TV last year trying to pay to have something else fixed.

Medical Update: Jana is still going through the cardio work up this week. The bubble test went ok but the results won’t be in until the rest of the cardio work up is completed. Once cardio is completed then she has to see a Lung and possibly a kidney specialist. She is suppose to have an MRI of the brain done Thursday morning but was told this morning that she has to pay atleast half of the 375.00 copay she has due to her insurance. Jana just paid a 375.00 bill last week from having a cat scan done of her abdomen. She is stable but still very sick and not feeling well at all. She’s doing her best to push through each day and I do not see how she’s able to do it. I do see that the more that happens to her and the more stress she’s put under she gets sicker and sicker. She’s doing the best she can do but at this point she is very worn down. I will post more updates as I get them. Please keep them in your prayers and please continue to donate if you are able to do so. We appreciate your help and prayers this far on her journey. However help through donations is still desperately needed. They are still desperately needing help so that they don’t lose everything due to Jana having to spend so much on all of the Medical, trying to keep the house bills paid while missing work unpaid and a check that’s running close to 200 a week short with one of her home health patients in the hospital. She also still has to do something about a vehicle and her jeep that’s torn up.

Praise report: Jana was able to pay off her property taxes so that is a huge weight off of her. Thank you again so much for your support, help, and caring hearts! She’s still got a long ways to go but if we all pull together on this we can and are truly helping to save her life right now. They can not become homeless during this time while she is this sick.

UPDATE 2/26/25: The cardiologist has worked her in as an emergency appointment and has ordered a STAT full Carido work up. Out of the many test she will be having one test is called The bubble test. This test is to make sure the that the rare blood disease she has called Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) hasn’t caused any damages to her heart and lungs and to see if there are any of the arteriovenous malformations (AVM’s) that HHT causes in her lungs. This is an abnormal connection between arteries and veins that can build up and burst open in any organ. They said this could be why she is so short of breath right now. HHT can lead to congestive heart failure and can also cause tiny holes to form in the walls of the heart where blood that doesn’t have any oxygen in it will go back into the lungs causing severe shortness of breath. We have to have the all clear from this as well as her red blood cells not being as dangerously low as they were before the Oncologist is able to do a bone marrow biopsy. At this point she just wants answers like we all do and to be free of having to worry what may all be wrong. She is ready with your support, love and prayers backing her to keep her head up and to stay strong to fight whatever this all is! She already knows she’s got a heck of a road ahead with the Lupus and HHT.

We appreciate your help and prayers this far on her journey. However help through donations is still desperately needed. She has about 3 weeks left to pay her property taxes. She has 300.00 of the 740.00 she owes on those saved up. She has spent every dollar down to the last cent on medical cost, bills and copayments, and tried her best to get most of her bills that were running 2 months behind caught up for when the time comes she has no choice but to miss work due to the treatments to the diagnosis she has thus far and due to having to go to UAB. The HHT treatment center is a little over an hour from where she lives. She has shown me where the money has gone to and what is still needed. She also still needs to get her jeep fixed or get another vehicle that’s more dependable.

UPDATE 2/17/25: Jana received some news from her Oncologist last week. Some of her results came back and she is 100% positive for Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT). This is a blood disorder from her dad's side of the family and is VERY rare. It causes atypical links between arteries and veins called arteriovenous malformation (AVMs). The most common sites AVMs affect are the skin, nose, digestive system, lungs, brain, liver and it can damage the heart. You can read more about this condition here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereditary_hemorrhagic_telangiectasia

Jana already has many symptoms of this: red spots on lips, chest and belly, iron deficiency due to bleeding, shortness of breath, swelling in hands and feet, and headaches. She is now going to need to see several more specialists to see if any of her organs have already been affected. First will be the Gentics doctor who is getting her started on a treatment plan of care. Next she will be seeing a cardiologist as this condition can cause congestive heart failure. It can also cause tiny holes to form in the heart walls. They are going to need to do a procedure where they run tiny air bubbles mixed with contrast through her arteries so they can see if the bubbles show in the chambers of her heart while doing an echocardiogram on her heart and lungs. This will help determine if she's had any damage to the heart yet as well as find out if any blood is going back into the lungs without oxygen in it. This can make her severely short of breath like she has been dealing with. She also has an upcoming MRI of her brain to be done to check for any malformations of AVM’s that the HHT can cause. Keep in mind, SLE Lupus and HHT (she has both) can lead to MDS (a type of blood cancer). As long as she is stable when these results come in then she will have the bone marrow biopsy done. For now she will be seeing all doctors here in town but once the bone marrow biopsy is completed she will have the added cost of traveling to Birmingham since her care will be transferred to the HHT clinic at UAB where they have an entire unit and team of doctors all specialized in treating HHT. This is the number one treatment center for HHT in the country. Her boys will have to be tested at this time for the disease as well.

She is facing the loss of income as these tests and procedures will ultimately cause her to lose hours at work. She is seeing different specialists or having lab work and test ran each week 4/5 times a week. The copays alone for these visits are taking a huge chunk out of her income along with her having to miss time from work to meet with these doctors and have these test done. She has to pay a copayment of 50.00 a visit that has to be paid up front before the doctor will see her. Some weeks it is costing her 200-250.00 just in doctor’s copayments. She is trying her best to keep up but it is just not enough when she is seeing this many doctors each week.

The Oncologist is trying to make sure that her heart and lungs are ok and keep her blood levels up so that she’s able to have the bone marrow biopsy done. She's also still trying to find a way to get a new vehicle as her jeep's engine needs to be replaced. Thank you for everyone who has donated so far and who has prayed for her. We will continue to keep you updated on her situation! - LeAnn

Original Post: Hello everyone. A good friend of mine, Jana Greenwood, has recently been going through a very difficult time and desperately needs our help. She is a single mom of two boys, ages 17 and 9. She has worked for the same home health company now for five years where she is a caregiver for disabled veterans. She also does private caregiver work as well. In order to survive on her income, she needs to work at least 6 days a week.

Recently she began having some serious health problems requiring her to miss a lot of work. She has been very sick. She is always short of breath, continuously in pain, dizzy and exhausted all the time. She has ended up in the ER several times just over the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, Jana’s job does not offer sick or paid time off, so when she is unable to work she does not get paid. She has had to go to several specialty doctors costing her $50 each visit, as well as high costs for the new medications she's been prescribed.

The most recent specialty doctor she has been referred to is an Oncologist/Hematologist. She needs to have iron infusions and blood transfusions because her red blood cells have been bottoming out to dangerous life threatening levels. She has an autoimmune disorder called SLE which is a form of Lupus. At this time the Oncologist is unsure what is causing her blood to drop like this because they have not been able to locate any bleeding out from anywhere. They are running many tests, but so far her lab work is pointing towards a condition called Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), which is a type of blood cancer. It is a group of related conditions that interfere with your body’s ability to make healthy blood cells. MDS often leads up to having Myeloid Leukemia. Jana’s father had both of these conditions and passed away with Leukemia a little over 10 years ago. The Oncologist is waiting on the last of her blood work to come back and is trying to keep Jana’s hemoglobin up to normal levels so that they are able to safely do a bone marrow biopsy. The bone marrow biopsy can be a dangerous procedure to have with her blood counts down so low. She could bleed out on the table. However, the bone marrow biopsy has to be done to determine a diagnosis and method of treatment.

Jana is also seeing a Genetics doctor who is testing her for Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT), also known as Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome. This is a rare genetic disorder that causes abnormal blood vessel development. These abnormal vessels, called arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), can form in almost any organ, including the brain, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. AVMs can range in size from millimeters to centimeters and can weaken and rupture, causing serious or life-threatening bleeding. Her father, two aunts and a cousin were all diagnosed with this. Jana’s father had Lupus, HHT, MDS, and passed away with myeloid Leukemia all within a matter of 5 years after his first diagnosis of Lupus. Unfortunately, this could end up being the same path Jana is about to head down.

They say when it rains it pours. As if the health issues weren't difficult enough to deal with, a little over a week ago Jana’s Jeep Cherokee broke down. The mechanic advised her that she needs a new engine because it has a cracked head. It also needs a new water pump, radiator and thermostat. We all know how expensive these repairs are. Plus, she still owes a little over $3k on it. The jeep has over 206k miles on it due to her working in home health. Due to a divorce and other set backs, she doesn't have the best of credit, and isn't likely to get another auto loan on her own at this time. She is still needing to pay her property taxes from this last year which are 740.00. She's also paying weekly on a personal loan which is a little over $1k.

Jana has been trying not to miss any work, but she has no choice but to take care of her health. This requires blood transfusions, iron infusions, additional testing, the bone marrow biopsy and eventually whatever treatments she will need once a diagnosis has been made. She's extremely concerned about the work she is going to be losing while trying to take care of herself. She has to pay her health insurance out of pocket, catch up on her utility bills (which are currently a month or two behind), provide for her children, pay the property taxes on her home, pay the jeep and personal loans off, and somehow find a safe and dependable vehicle to get herself back and forth to her client's homes and to the doctor.

The Oncologist told her stress can have very negative effects on her body with the conditions she has and the ones they believe she has. Stress with the Lupus alone can cause bad flare ups that make her feel as badly as a person does with the flu. These flare ups don’t go away quickly. Sometimes they can last weeks or even months. I do not know how she does it, but she still forces herself to go to work to take care of others even when she's at her worst. Like most moms, she is always on the go, always putting her children first over herself. I made her promise me that this year would be the year she takes better care of herself. You cannot pour from an empty cup.

She is a wonderful mom and a strong, selfless human being. She is always taking care of others or doing something special for someone in need just to see them smile. She hates burdening others with her problems. She was very hesitant about me even creating this go fund me because she hates asking for help. However, I see the stress she is under, and after some prayer, I truly believe she needs a community of people to come together for her.

Jana does not have much of a support system or anyone to help. Both of her parents have passed, and she only has a couple of family members who do not have much to give. She has to find some kind of relief before this all ends up costing her life. If you can and are able, please find it in your heart to donate. Let’s help her get well so that she is able to continue to care for our disabled veterans and others. Even just a little can become a lot if we all come together to help her and her children.

All money donated will help with her medical costs, help her catch up on her bills, and purchase a vehicle. Her and her children have been through a lot of hard times over the years and this family deserves to be happy and to live in peace!! Together, we can make a huge positive impact in her life that she desperately needs.

I know not everyone has the means to donate at this time, but please know that ALL prayers for her and her boys are very, very much appreciated. They definitely need some prayer warriors! Please feel free to share this link/post. The more shares it has the more it is seen and hopefully the more help we are able to bring to this precious little family.

Thank you for taking the time to read her story. Below are some sweet memories of her and her children from over the years.

Below are pictures of Jana’s lips. This is a big sign of the rare blood disease HHT that Jana now has.

Jana’s Dad just a couple of days before he passed away with Lupus, HHT, MDS blood cancer that developed into Myeloid Leukemia. The same track Jana is on now. His treatments did not work in time.

Pictures of the plug that caught on fire in Jana’s home on 3/10/25 she has to have fixed before power can be turned back on to that part of the house.

Some of Jana’s blood test results

Jana Greenwood

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Urgent Help: Single Mom, Rare Blood Disease, Possible Cancer