Help Brian return home after traumatic spinal cord injury

It all started in February 2024 when my husband, Brian, had a misdiagnosed spinal cord infection. We sought medical intervention by going to many doctors and visiting the ER, only to be told it was either a muscle spasm or a herniated disc. On Februrary 22, he fell in the bathroom at our home. The fall, combined with the pressure on his spinal column, caused a spinal cord injury in the cervical spine (C1-C3).

Brian was admitted to the neuro ICU at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, TN that day. He had an emergency laminectomy and remained in the ICU for over a month. There were many days that I was unsure if he would survive. I was told by the neurosurgeons and neurology team that he may always be on a ventilator and feeding tube. The nerves to his bowels were also severed. It was a very bleak outlook. He was septic and had multiple comorbidities, including encephalitis, severe edema, stroke and blood clot risk, and finally an exploded cecum in his abdomen which resulted in 2 abdominal surgeries. I didn’t know whether to plan for a funeral or prepare my family for the unknowns of long-term care for quadriplegia.

This catastrophic injury has been absolutely devastating to our family. All of Brian’s cognitive abilities are intact. He is a quadriplegic – trapped in his body and confined to a hospital bed for almost 3 months now. We have a 2-year-old, Isabella, and a 12-year-old, Cooper. Brian was an extremely active parent, handling many of the daily childcare and household duties. I became a single mother overnight, and now we are dealing with the inner workings of insurance, the substantial financial burdens of the future, and what the management of daily life will look like. Brian has been dealing with the reality of his condition and what that means for him as a parent and husband. I can’t fathom what he must feel like every day. He is currently in a long-term acute care hospital, and we must determine the next phase of care.

The hospital initially recommended discharge into a skilled nursing facility. Brian’s prognosis was not good. I started pushing back hard. How could my husband go to a nursing home at only 47 and with 2 children at home? What does that look like for our marriage and for our kids? Before this happened, Brian was full of life and always the funniest person in the room. Now, our lives have become a nightmare. We had to find a way to turn it around.

Despite the bleak picture the doctors painted for us, Brian has made a tremendous amount of recovery based on his initial prognosis. He is no longer on the ventilator, trach, or feeding tube. He can now move his right hand and feed himself, though his arms are still relatively weak. He can push some with his feet. Brian is extremely stubborn and a born fighter. He is doing more than anyone thought initially possible.

Brian began requesting extra physical therapy in the hopes of being qualified to go to an inpatient rehab facility. There are no Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Model System centers in Memphis. We asked the hospital to submit his information to several SCI-MS centers, including the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, Illinois. After a lot of hard work and advocacy, Brian will likely be accepted at Shirley Ryan pending one more MRI of his abdomen. Final approval is not submitted until 48 hours pre-discharge, so we are starting to plan now given the very short timeframe. He can be discharged from the hospital at any time. The problem will be transportation to and from Chicago since Brian requires an air ambulance and our family’s travel, lodging, and childcare costs.

We are asking for help from our community and beyond. I never thought I would be in a position to have to ask for help, but we have no other choice. The only hope for Brian to ever come home and to maximize his independence is to get the specialized rehab he so desperately needs. Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to cover the insurmountable expense of it all.

The donations will help to pay for the air ambulance to and from the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Additionally, the kids and I will travel to Chicago, and the donations will help to pay for our travel and lodging costs.

If Brian is able to discharge home from Shirley Ryan, which is the ultimate goal, he’ll need specialized equipment, and we’ll need major home renovations, a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, and home healthcare. He will likely have ongoing physical and occupational therapies for an extended time after discharge.

Thank you for reading our story. It is a humbling experience to ask for and accept the type of help we need. I will share updates throughout our journey.

Sincerely,
Mary Kathryn Jackson

Family and friends of Brian Jackson are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund medical expenses associated with Brian’s catastrophic spinal cord injury. Brian has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button. For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.