Jennifer Kirila

Jennifer Kirila is raising money to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with a catastrophic illness. Jennifer has chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because donations are tax deductible for contributors and will only be used to cover medical and related expenses.

Jennifer is a writer and animal lover who is passionate about helping others. In 2017, she received multiple life changing diagnoses, including (in brief) Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia, mast cell activation syndrome, and narcolepsy. Additional diagnoses followed. In 2021, after increasing mobility problems, Jennifer was told that she would require the use of a wheelchair after tissue loss in both feet that meant she was walking on bone; without the use of a wheelchair, the loss of one or both feet would likely occur. While the swift changes have been difficult, Jennifer has worked to adjust to every new challenge.

Jennifer has a history of personal philanthropy and has started several nonprofits, both individually and through school. Jennifer has degrees in neuropsychology and writing and finds purpose in helping others. Jennifer is also a former competitive road cyclist and loves athletic pursuits as well as anything relating to books and writing, animals, and plants.

Since the accelerated loss of mobility, Jennifer has had problems with not only her feet but also her hands. Losing mobility has changed every part of her life. Most prominently, since Jennifer now requires the use of a power wheelchair, she has become stuck at home without any ability to leave the house to do even the most simple tasks, tasks that most people take for granted, such as picking up prescriptions, getting food or visiting the food pantry that supports her medical meal plan, or going to the post office. Jennifer also hasn’t been able to leave the house to see people or meet friends who may provide valuable social support and well being for her mental health. Insurance paid the cost of a standard power wheelchair, but has refused coverage for an ultralight power wheelchair, despite medical providers exhaustively detailing the current need for this type of wheelchair specifically.

An ultralight power wheelchair would give Jennifer back a piece of independence, dignity and hope. It would allow her to use her own car, get out into the community, and take care of herself in ways she hasn’t been able to for a long time. While Jennifer’s dream is to someday have a fully wheelchair accessible vehicle, that is far beyond what she can ask for right now. This ultralight power chair is a solution she can reach for, and it would truly change her life.

Jennifer hopes that having an ultralight power wheelchair will be the first step back into living again. Jennifer still has big dreams about putting her talent to work for others and eventually getting back to work one day.

Please donate to Help Hope Live in Jennifer’s honor today, and ask your friends and family to give too! We would love to plan some fundraisers in Jennifer’s honor too, so if you can help with that, please contact us at [email protected]. Fundraising can be done virtually or in person. Thank you for your generous support.