My name is Vincent and have been in a relationship with my best friend since August 2006 but married since April 21, 2007. I have watched her go from a young struggling single mother (24) to a very devoted woman (41).
She has never been one to ask for help and would go out of her way to help anyone in need, but I feel that it is my duty to step up and ask for help for my wife when she wont.
My wife has been dealing with some major medical issues lately. It started with two really nasty wounds on her fourth and fifth toe on her left foot in which they needed to be amputated. Right before they completely healed she woke one morning with blisters on both of her big toes (left and right foot) and blisters on both on the amputated toes. My wife tried her best to not pop the blisters but she is on her feet everyday, just like the majority of people. Unfortunately both the blisters popped. She was able to keep the skin on the left big toe but not on the right. No matter how well she cared for the wound on the right foot gangrene set in.
She finally asked the vascular doctors that she works for, I forgot to mention that she is a medical assistant, and they came to the conclusion that it was Buerger’s Disease. It affects the blood vessels in the feet, legs, arms and hands. One of the major thing that causes it is smoking. Knowing the reason I saw my wife drastically stop the number of cigarettes she would have during the day. She finally made it down to just one in the morning. She was instructed to do weekly wound care treatments and daily hyperbaric therapy. The daily hyperbaric and wound care were working so well that the wounds on the left foot had just about completely healed. Then came a major problem, something no one saw coming. At the end of April the 26th or the 27th my wife was 15-20 minutes away from finishing her dive and then all hell broke loose. She had a seizure but because she was in the chamber the pressure was not equalized so they could not get her out or her lungs would of blown. During this time the seizure had stopped but the confusion coming out of it put her into a panic because she could not get out of the chamber, she stated that she felt trapped and was terrified. Afterwards we found out that she stopped breathing for a few minutes, had two small strokes, a non-stemi (heart attack), a clot in her leg and pulmonary edema. When I got the call from the doctor that she had a seizure and was in the hospital, I was terrified but knowing that the doctor who called me, my wife works with and had nothing but amazing things to say about him, put me at ease knowing he was there with her and that she was in good hands. Test were done and the decision was made to admit her. The next day she found out that she was very anemic and needed blood, but most importantly she found out she was in renal failure. Over multiple days, with numerous blood draws and medications, they were able to bring her renal numbers down but not what they were hoping for. They wanted to do a biopsy but the machine was broken so finally she was sent home. Two weeks later the day of the biopsy came and went and we just waited for the results. That day came and my wife was asked to come into the office because her nephrologist did not want to explain the results over the phone because it was to complex. To make it short my wife was diagnosed with an extremely rare, I mean 1 to 2 people out of a million are diagnosed with what she has. She was diagnosed with something called C3GN also know as C3 Glomerulonephritis. It is genetic and acquired problems in controlling the body’s complement system, which helps fight infections. Just a couple of symptoms of C3GN are hematuria, lots of protein in the urine, edema, gout because the kidneys can not filter/remove, recurrent infections since her immune system is now compromised, less urine being made and so much more from the waste accumulating in her blood. About 14-15 years she reached out to a specialist who did every test in the book but did not do an biopsy. My wife could of had some type of normalcy by now if that doctor did his job right. There is NO CURE! My wife is taking so many medications in hopes it may help slow the progression of the disease, but that is not a guarantee. The medications might do absolutely nothing and it might be useless. Since starting these medications I have notice some side effects that make her very uncomfortable. One is what she refers to as something similar to restless leg syndrome but it works it’s way up her whole body down her arms and hands. Another one which I have seen and appears to be extremely uncomfortable which is were her muscles tighten up and it almost appears as if she is stretching but that’s not the case her whole body tightens up for a couple of seconds then she is able to relax but happens multiple times a day, it can be scary to watch. Once diagnosed the life expectancy is about 10 years but we are praying for a miracle and want her to live the best life possible and make many memories with her beautiful children.
My wife is terrified because she knows that even having great medical insurance this is going to put our family into multiple hardships as she/we live paycheck to paycheck. Right now is spends anywhere from $400 to $480 a month just going back and forth to work on public transportation and that is not including bus/cab fees(public transportation) going from medical appointments, to food shopping, etc because she can not afford a vehicle of her own but is doing the best she can. Eventually over time, her body will become too weak and she will need dialysis and/or a transplant. This is going to take her away from the job that she loves to do. When the time comes, she will have to go on some type of leave which does not pay her the actual amount she deserves. The hardship of paying rent, food, the normal necessities of everyday. I do my best but I am on disability from a car accident. She is the one keeping this family afloat. With everything going on her biggest fear is not being able to make good memories with her children. She does not want them to remember her suffering, but good times.
Everyday I watch my beautiful wife wake up and I can tell she is not feeling well but she shakes it off and jumps in the shower. I don’t think she knows that I can hear her crying over the music she plays in the shower. She then finishes getting ready, has her coffee and breakfast which is a combination on ten different medications, not counting vitamins and then heads off to work. Everyday she repeats the process and does not really complain but I can easily see the days that she should stay in bed, but Jessica is the type of person that will put everyone and anyone before herself. She will rarely speak about her condition because she chooses to continue to put others before her and that is every where. She tries he best to act like she is healthy but I can see it starting to really get to her and every once and a while it will come out but as quickly as it does she tries her best to quickly cover it up. I mentioned to her about possibly getting a second opinion and she looked at me with disgust and rightfully so. My family, especially my wife, is extremely blessed and honored to have such a compassionate, wonderful, supportive and well educated team of doctors that she works for, that she considers each one more than just a co-worker. She considers each one a family member and a friend. That is not including her other co-workers that mean the world to her as well. Let’s not leave out her real family and real friends, not the fake people who pretend to be family or friends. Overall she has an amazing support system on her side cheering her on!
Ok, why should you consider helping Jessica?????
Although she is not asking, her family is. Jessica like I stated before is usually the one to lend a helping hand to others no matter the situation. She has always attempted to go above and beyond to make others happy, bring laughter, always compassionate and helps others find positivity in life when they have a difficult time finding it themselves. She is devoted to her family and friends, passionate about her career and supportive of all those around her. Even with her current struggles she maintains that consistent drive to always help others first.
Please find it in your heart to support my beautiful wife Jessica during this difficult time. Anything you can give will make a difference and would be greatly appreciated. I know that this would be one of the hardest things for Jessica to ask for and to be honest she never would, that is why I feel it is my responsibility to ask as her husband.
Thank you,
Vincent Smith
