Thursday, November 15, 2007

Jessi ~ An Amazing Young Woman



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Jessi's Mom -  Jessi  -   Kendra - Taken this past summer



This is a post asking for your HELP.   




Help to bring some cheer to a military family this holiday season.




The gal who wrote this message is Darlene.   An online friend,


I've known for several years.    These messages are from a


web site we are on together.   




Darlene and her friend Jessi live in Nouth Carolina. 




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Jessi is a 18 year old girl who was born with brittle bones disease.


(Brittle Bone Disease - Osteogenesis Imperfecta)


She has spent her life in a wheelchair and has to live very cautiously.
With as much caution as possible she still manages to break bones in her body.
Her wheelchair hitting something or running over a bump breaks bones.
She is a tiny thing.... If she could walk she wouldn't be 3 feet tall.
She is beautiful young lady with a bit of a fiery disposition.
She loves to paint and make friends.

A lot of people her age are afraid of her and making friends
is hard to do and she has every intention of keeping her friends
or in other words, making an acquaintance isn't what she strives
for and making you her friend is.

Jessi is presently writing medical history.....
She wasn't supposed to live this long and she surpassed her prognosis
many years ago. She is deformed because her skeletal system stopped
growing when she was little but her organs didn't.
It brings about another medical problem for her....
Her organs are all pushed together trying to fit in her tiny body.
If she gets a cold it's dangerous for her because her heart and lungs
are smooshed and it makes them work harder.


=======================================

My daughter Kendra met Jessi at school....
Jessi, in her wheelchair was being bullied and she attempted
to run her bullies down with her chair.... My daughter does
not like a bully and her dislike is even stronger when the
bullies select the defenseless to pick on. My daughter got
involved and she ran the bullies off and brought Jessi into
our lives as well as the lives of her other friends.
My daughter and Jessi will graduate this year from a small school...
They both plan on going to college...
My Kendra wants to be a veterinarian and Jessi wants to be
a counselor on her disease.



UPDATE - Nov 4th




She just returned from John Hopkins in Maryland and her surgeries


have been scheduled...


She will have surgery on December 3rd and be placed in suspended traction


until her next surgery on December 17th. She hopes to be home


in North Carolina for Christmas.




The risks of her surgery are high and she is 18 now.....


She was asked to sign a DNR (Do not resuscitate) form. It was


explained to her that if they tried to resuscitate her excessively that


it would kill her and with a heavy heart she signed the form.


We are being optimistic especially for her benefit.


I sense she will do fine with the surgeries, though. Please keep Jessi


and her family in your thoughts and prayers.




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UPDATE Nov 14th






Jessi's surgery is going to hinder Christmas for her family. I am asking for


your prayers and if you could send a care package for the family


that would be wonderful too.
I told Sheri, Jessi's mom, I would work on Christmas for everyone and


she should worry about the surgery.


If you are able to make or buy just one gift and send it for Christmas


it would help... Or even a gift card, Cheyanne and Jessi love books


and a gift card to waldenbooks or Barnes and Noble would be gold to them.


Cheyanne is Jessi's baby sister, she is 12.
Jessi wants to be home for Christmas but it likely won't happen...


Christmas will be waiting for her when she does get back home....


Emotions are beginning to show their head around here we are


crying one minute and laughing another minute. We are praying


and looking for hope... Other times we are just numb...




This family really needs the power of love and support that
only strangers can give....



Cody M.  age  19
Jessi  B. age 18
Cheyanne M.  age  12
Sheri M.  mom


Matt M.   step father




Matt is serving in the Navy and will be here for Jessi's surgeries.
She will have her surgeries at John Hopkins Hospital in Maryland.



Sheri, Jessi's Mom sent these words.....





"Life is about to change as we know it. Jessica and our family will


be embarking on a new chapter of our lives in a few weeks. Jessica is


scheduled for her first of two spinal surgeries on Dec. 3rd, and then on


Dec 17th for the final fusion.


We are hoping this will change Jessica's life for the better,


either way we are winners!!




WOW.... what an amazing young woman Jessi is. !!!!

Please keep Jessi and her family in your prayers.
I'll be posting updates on my site here of her progress.





I KNOW this is a whole lot to ask, but if everyone of my



friends who reads this message sent the family a couple


of dollars or even $5 or whatever you can  ....


what a difference it would make in their lives. 




I would rather not post their mailing address


directly on the web, but if you would please email


me --  I'll gladly send it your way.

AFMomDeb@aol.com






Remember what Alvin from  the Chipmunks says...





"It's a GIVING - GIVING - GIVING time"




THANK YOU and GOD BLESS


Photo collage of Jessi and friends


















7 comments:

Patricia - Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker said...

Deb, I will be sending prayers of healing Jessie's way as well as contacting Silent Unity which is a place that has volunteers doing prayers for 24 hours a day, seven days a week for one month. I will also put the information in my prayer circle at church and forward it on to several friends and family and their churches as well. I just asked Jessie's Higher Self and received permission from her so I will also do Reiki on Jessie each night with my small group that I do healing on. I ask for healing for the Highest Good for all concerned.

Debra Estep said...

Dear Patricia,
I read your comment... burst into tears and heard..
"Lord Make Me An Instrument of Your Peace"....
THANK YOU !!!!! so very much. !!!!
Love
Deb
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying [to ourselves] that we are born to eternal life.
(St Francis)

Debra Estep said...

PS.....
Please do forward this perm link on to anyone
who would pray for Jessi..
http://deb_inside.typepad.com/deb_inside/2007/11/jessi-an-amazin.html
Jessi's Story
http://tinyurl.com/3y6huw
I made it tiny so it would show up better.
Thank you and God Bless you !

Debra Estep said...

Here is an update my friend sent last night......
THANK GOD.. ........ Please keep the prayers going. !!!! Jessi's stepdad, Matt is NAVY. Matt's division have temporarily assigned him to duty in Maryland. This will keep him from using up his leave time and will keep him with Sheri and Jessi.
(Sheri is Jessi's Mom)
Update from Kendra's Mom - Dar -
Jessi is doing well and one phase of the surgery has been completed, they went into her side through the ribs to free her spine and shift her organs. SHe has been turned and they are operating on her back working to manipulate her spine so either rods or pins can be inserted. This is the critical part of her surgery so please keep Jessi in your prayers and thoughts! The final part of the surgery will be inserting the screws into her head for her halo... Thank you for the prayers and please keep sending them up!!!!
Jessi is out of surgery. She is on a respirator and in ICU and she has her halo. Her lower spine and cocyx bone were also fused. I don't know why they fused her lower spine at this time. She will get the rest of her spine fused in surgery on the 17th of this month.
She was given a pint of blood and the doctor's say she did well.
Thank you Lord and all of us who prayed and kept her in our thoughts!!!!!

Debra Estep said...

I had this update from Darlene about Jessi...
Jessi is doing well physically she is making progress BUT her spirits are really low... To the point of her thinking about dying due to the pain.
I talked to Jessi's mom and she is worried and trying to cheer Jessi up...
Next Monday Jessi has her second surgery and the halo will be removed and maybe the pain will also subside. The traction and the weights seem to the biggest source of her pain and she can't move around like we could if we were down so she has to be miserable... Anyway, if you can help send some love and encouragement Jessi's way I am asking you to do so...
I have a mailing address for Jessi,
but I would rather not just list it directly.
IF you would like to send her a card...
PLEASE......... email me...
AFMomDeb@aol.com
It would mean so much for this young woman.
Love
Deb

Debra Estep said...

I had this message late afternoon from my friend Darlene.........
I'll post when I know any more... Dear Lord be with them.
I don't have all of the details but Jessi's surgery was aborted when she took a bad turn along the line. The doctors are talking with Matt and Sheri at this time and they will let us know something when they are able to. At this time things are not looking good for Jessi so please hold her up in prayer!!!!!!

Debra Estep said...

For everyone praying and keeping Jessi in your thoughts here are some updates. I'm sorry I'm behind in sharing them.
My son was in town for the holiday and left back for his base yesterday.
xo xo
Deb
Jessi Updates
12-21
It isn't likely that Jessi will be home for Christmas. She is doing well but she is angry and defiant. Sheri got firm with her last night and I talked to her today... She is angry. We are disappointed in her lack of motivation to use her anger for strength instead of for defiance. She has said some pretty harsh things to Sheri lately. Jessi did sit in her chair for two hours today, after Sheri came down on her last night. Jessi refused to get in her chair yesterday.
Matt is coming home tomorrow to spend Christmas with Cheyanne, Cody and his parents and they will be having Christmas dinner with us. Maybe Jessi will be motivated more tomorrow. I gave her a pep talk as well as a slight scolding about her verbal abuse.
Her fighting spirit is back in full force she just needs to get a hold of it and use it like she usually does... To see her through the rough spots.... and she will.
Her nerves (literally) are not compressed like they used to be and she is overwhelmed with sensations she had forgotten about and she also has random pains in different places of her body. The doctor's say it's the nerves tuning in again and it will pass.
The doctor's told her today that she should be home already.... Jessi doesn't want to hear it. She is scared too because of her enhanced sense of feeling. She says she isn't ready to come home regardless of what the doctor's say... As soon as she gets a grip on her emotions and the reawakened nerve senses she will start pushing herself. Please keep praying and see this new "attitude" as her old self reawakening with old yet unused and forgotten nerve senses to go along with it.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!
12-24
I talked to Jessi today and she is much better regarding her anger. She has considered our thoughts on the matter. We understand that her nerves are in turmoil too. It seems as if there isn't much to help her medicinally. Pain management tried another drug today but it didn't work. Jessi is going to make better efforts and be less defiant but there is no telling how long her body will adjust to the changes....
12-26
It is hoped that Jessi and Sheri will be coming home Thursday. Jessi intends on sitting in her chair for 6 hours tomorrow. Santa stopped by last night as she slept and left her some goodies. There was also a catered dinner served today! I wish I could say her nerve pain and spasms were better but they aren't. Pain mgmt has spent the last few days trying to find the right medications to help her and maybe they found it. We will keep praying for Jessi's comfort and her return home as quickly as possible.
I am going to put the finishing touches on Jessi's room tomorrow and Thursday I will be leaving for a weekend getaway with Steve to Myrtle Beach. I will update Hazel via phone so she can update you all when she can.
Merry Christmas everyone....
Hugs and love to you all!!!!!!!!!!!
12-28
Darlene has not updated as of yet, so I am not sure if Jessi is home.
Darlene and her daughter and many other folks have been redoing Jessi's
bedroom. She has no idea this is going on. Here is one wall of the room.
The other walls just have the design.
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/49/jessisroomcd1.jpg
I've been keeping a candle going on the Navy site, as Jessi is a Navy daughter.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=NAVY