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Inspirational People These are Friends of Jaclyn photos and stories of people who have touched our lives.Feel free to contact us if you have a story of a person you want us to include.
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Jill raised over $800 for the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation during her run of the Pineland Marathon in Maine. Thanks Jill! |
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 Ashley visiting with Jaclyn |
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"Lauren's First and Goal"  One person can facilitate big change. Often times it is the smallest of people who inspire that change. Lauren inspires us every day with her resiliency, courageous spirit and joy for life. Those who know her often tell us that she has the power to turn their day around with her crazy laugh and infectious smile. Her happiest moments are when she is giving of helping someone else.
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 Hi Jaclyn, I wanted to share my story.
In June of 1994, two weeks before I graduated high school, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. I was suppose to be going away to college but instead I went through 9 months of Chemotherapy, 3 blood tranfusions, and 5 weeks of radiation treatments. I thought my world was ending. I was told that I may not be able to have any children. I had lost all of my hair, looked liked a very different person. They say that things happen for a reason... Well while I was going through my radiation treatments I became quite close with one of the therapists, Chris. I saw him everyday for 5 weeks straight. We kept in touch. Out of something so horrible, something beautiful came about. We got married in 1999. In 2001, our first child was born Isabella Donna and then in 2004 our second child was born Joseph Christopher. I am so blessed with a beautiful life. I did BEAT the battle of cancer. It was a hard journey but I did it!!! ~Renata Montgomery~ |
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Future Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback  Luke was the picture of health however, before his third birthday we noticed that his vision did not function properly. After a series of trial and errors with eye disorder diagnosis, doctors performed an MRI which showed Luke had a very large brain tumor. Luke underwent an attempted resection of the tumor, but because of the intertwining of major blood vessels, little could be removed. Additionally, doctors place a double VP shunt in his brain to drain the trapped spinal fluid, which was unable to drain properly due to the tumor. Luke then began harsh chemotherapy to reduce and stop the tumor's growth. Unfortunately, his tumor continued to grow and he developed a severe allergic reaction to the treatment. Doctors introduced new protocols of treatment, but Luke's tumor continued to grow, blinding his left eye and half of his right eye. After exhausting all viable chemotherapy options, Luke underwent proton beam radiation therapy to help stop the tumor. Since that time, Luke has had a lot of complications with his tumor, including growth of cystic components and crowding problems. Currently, he is learning Braille and orientation to navigate his limited vision world. His hormone functions are declining and will need replacements shortly. Intellectually, he has to learn new ways to do his work since the radiation is affecting cognitive components of his brain and his limited vision is making reading tracking difficult.
But Luke is full of life. He loves to collect things like PEZ dispensers and pressed pennies. He loves to tell jokes and do work on the computer. He loves his sisters and his dog and he loves being the center of attention like most 7 year olds. We are amazed as his strength, his fighting spirit and his loving heart. His future is very uncertain and every 3 months we cross our fingers and wait for the latest news - but we do so with the pride that only comes from having such a child and we treasure every day we have in his amazing company! |
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 Gabe, he is 12 years old now, and still suffers from almost daily seizures, which render him moody and tired. He is aware of his seizures and just recently has expressed frustration about them and says "I want them out of my head, take them out!" About a week ago, he completed a lengthy screening with the Chief of Epilepsy at Tampa General/University of South Florida Hospital, and is scheduled for a one week hospital stay for EEG monitoring from 14-18 Nov.2005. This begins the evaluation process to see if he is the right candidate for epilepsy surgery. If all goes well during his EEG recording, he will go to the next step of evalutaion to pinpoint what area will require removal....He may have a temperal lobe ectomy, but it is too soon to say at this point. Hug and kiss everyone for us! Love Mary and Frank |
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 Jaclyn's Angel
Maura is head Nurse in Greeniwch Hospital Emergency Room and worked as Flight Staff for Westchester Medical. Maura was in in OR during Jaclyn's brain surgery. She was the glue that kept the family together during very difficult times. We love you, Maura |
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 Jimmy is battling the same brain tumor and cancer as Jaclyn. He is closing in on 17 months in his battle and it has seemed like forever. Since his brain surgery on July 1 of last year, he has gone through 5 rounds of chemotherapy, a round of high dose chemotherapy, a stem-cell infusion as well as intensive speech and physical therapy. He has endured countless blood and platelet transfusions and, as you might guess, has been subject to an intense drug regimen. More recently, in July he completed about 30 sessions of radiation therapy on both his brain and his spine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Jimmy had his latest scan on Wednesday, August 31, at Childrens Hospital of Philadelpia. The scans show that his brain looks normal and there are no spots evident. Unfortunately, the scans of the spine show spots which may or may not be a tumor. Jimmy is doing well. He continues to have a positive attitude and does not complain or feel sorry for himself. Even when he sees his friends playing and running around he seems to take enjoyment in their activity. He continues to be tired from the radiation even thought it ended some time ago. His strength is slowly returning and he is beginning to walk farther distances with a walker and trying to regain his balance/strength so he can take a few steps without assistance. When he stands or walks he wears braces on his legs. He goes to therapy 3 to 4 days a weeks for both speech and physical activities. |
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 On September 12,2004 (the anniversary of my fathers death), I was diagnosed with a very aggresive form of breast cancer. Having no history of cancer in my family I was completely stunned. After my first surgery in October 2004 the doctors informed me that they were not able to remove all of the cancer so I underwent two more operatins and was finally ready to start Chemotherapy, which lasted 24 weeks and left me exhausted and nauseus. The chemo was followed by 37 days of radiation. During the whole ordeal I felt such a strong presence of my father, that he was watching over me and I would get throught this, just as I know that Jack is watcing over Jaclyn. Today I am back to work full time as a High School teacher and Cross Country coach. When I am running with my team My iPod is always playing "Calling all Angels". |
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 Diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 8, she has lived with daily injections and blood sugar tests for the last seven years. She does not even remember a time of life without diabetes. She must closely watch her blood sugar levels and adjust them with insulin and food to make sure she is neither too high or too low. When a person with diabetes experiences a low blood sugar they risk immediate loss of consciousness due to lack of glucose to the brain. When a person with diabetes experiences too much sugar in the blood, they feel sick. If they let the high remain for too long they risk going into a diabetic coma and eventually death if left untreated. Diabetes is a disease that can be managed but, presently cannot be cured. It takes a great deal of work and effort to keep it under control, but serious long term complications are unavoidable. There currently is no cure for diabetes. Insulin injections are a life support, not a cure. |
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 Aunt Maryann Salvin, my Dad's sister. She's had type 1 diabetes since she was 16 and has never let it slow her down. Her strain has always left her susceptible to sudden diabetic seizures so she, and the rest of the family, have been prepared to help and react whenever they come. Through the years Mom has devoted her energies to a regiment of self care, regularly injecting life sustaining insulin and maintaining a diet that will keep her sugar levels balanced. Through her desire to beat this illness, for herself as well as others, she has also devoted her energy to pioneering new treatments as they come along. She currently receives her insulin through a pump that she wears 24 hrs a day. The last few years have been steady for her, and we all feel blessed. |
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 Breast cancer survivor |
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