It's taco Tuesday and I have my friend Jen and her two daughters over. Sage, a one-year-old is sleeping on my dog’s bed while Jen laughs it off. Tegan, a four-year-old is looking up at me with big eyes asking me to pick her up. I look at these two young girls and their mom just happy to be in their presence not knowing that within a few weeks their lives would change completely and that this moment would become cherished. Jen is a Critical Care Nurse and Certified Radiology Nurse working in Interventional Radiology at Madigan Army Medical Center on Joint Base Lewis McChord. She is prior service active duty and currently a colonel in the US Army Reserves. It wasn’t until she was 47 that she decided to have children and soon gave birth to her first daughter and at 51, her second. Jen didn’t let her age, marital status or any other societal standards dictate her path or hold her back from her goals. She was in excellent health, exercised regularly and had a radiant presence. About a month ago, Jen caught a common cold, recovered and went back to her normal routine. A few short weeks later, Jen felt a numb finger, which eventually radiated to pain in her legs. Within two days, Jen's legs were giving out—she collapsed several times and eventually could not walk or stand. Shortly after, Jen was transported to the emergency department and admitted to the intensive care unit where she received a diagnosis of Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS). A critical care nurse who has been providing patient care was now the patient. She had to quickly have serious conversations with her doctors and loved ones. Within 72 hours she could not breathe on her own—placed on a ventilator and intubated. The disease progressed fast and hard. FreedomSisters Magazine
By: Susanna Keilman