Team Jess

Normally on Saturdays and Sundays, when I wake up, I don't rush to get out of bed. After a long week, I like to relax and take my time getting up. Often, I'll check my phone to see if I have messages, then scroll around on Instagram and Daily Mail. Two weeks ago on Sunday morning, I came across an Insta post that made me do a double take. I follow our local newspaper and I saw a picture of their front page for the day and I recognized the person I saw. I quickly went to their website and read the article. I recognized the face, but it didn't look the same as I had remembered. I was in shock as I read the article.

One of my first jobs out of college was at a public accounting firm. I started in January 2009 and had NO idea what I was in for. Nothing like starting right at the beginning of tax season and being brand new to the accounting world! When we weren't glued to our desks, I started to get to know some of my coworkers. There was one girl who worked from home since she just had a baby the previous December, so I only met her in passing at first. Her name was Jess and she seemed really cool. She was a seasonal worker who helped out during tax season and each quarter for payroll returns. As we got to know each other, we clicked right away and got along super well. I always looked forward to whenever she would stop in the office. We had a similar sense of humor and work style. She is a few years older than me, and I always looked up to her because she had a really good head on her shoulders. One fun thing she started was on Friday, she would run to get fast food for lunch and we called it "Fattie Friday". A perfect way to end a long week! 😀 (Technically it wasn't the end of the week because we always had to work Saturdays, but whatever).

I worked at that job for about 5 years, but even after I left, she and I would periodically text and stay in touch. We had one of those friendships where there would be periods of time without texting, but then we would start right back up where we left off. She had 3 (now 4) kids and a busy life, and I was working, buying a house, etc. so we might go months without talking, but I always cared about her a great deal. In 2015, I had just gotten let go from my job... but I wasn't without a job for too long because she was able to find a position for me. Her husband was the GM of a local manufactured housing company and the controller there was looking for a new employee to help with the accounting work. She had previously worked with Jess and knew her work style and REALLY wanted her to come on board. Jess thought it wouldn't be a good idea for her to work at the same place as her husband, but she said "hey wait! I know someone who has a work style very similar to me... you should hire Jerilyn!". I went in for an interview and got the job. Jess's sister, Jami, worked there as well and they sound so alike when they talk that I had to do double takes sometimes to see who I was talking to 😂.

I left that job in 2017 after my suicide attempt and was really struggling with my mental health. I took some time off from working to try to focus on handling my depression and anxiety. We kept in touch as always and I remember her coming to hang out and spend some time with me one day that spring. All her kids were in school so she had some free time! A few months later was my dad's suicide so I was a mess, but as always, we would text periodically. Fast forward to the fall of 2019 and I kept seeing her son's name in the newspaper. He was an excellent football player and their team was doing well. I knew she was probably so proud... and busy! He wasn't her only child in sports, so I figured she was driving kids to school, practices and games. I sent her a text in November after I saw that her son's team had been doing well in district playoffs. I also knew that her birthday was coming up. I remember thinking it was really odd that she never responded. Sometimes it might take her some time to get back to me, but she never just didn't respond.

Now, as I was reading the newspaper article, crying, I knew why she was unable to answer my text message. On October 31, 2019, she was driving home from closing up their camper at the beach and was hit by a drunk driver. It is a miracle she survived, but she had some incredibly serious injuries. She was in a coma for a while, then a rehab hospital and then was finally able to come home. The article talked about everything she went through and continues to go through each day. I was sobbing. I had no idea this happened to her. It broke my heart to think about what it must be like for her and her family. I cannot even begin to imagine trauma that they all went through. I struggled with feeling some guilt that I wasn't there for her. Obviously, I hadn't heard about the accident and there was no way that I could have magically known about it, but I felt terrible for the months that I was not able to reach out. I scrambled around trying to find a way to get in touch with her and was able to get Jami's number.

Jami graciously gave me an address so that I can send cards and she texts me with updates. I share this story with you today to ask for your prayers for Jess and her entire family. I will also link their Go Fund Me page below if you feel compelled to donate towards Jess's many medical expenses. Finally, DON'T DRIVE DRUNK.... EVER!!!!!!!

Team Jess Go Fund Me