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On February 22, 2018 Jessica received a bone marrow transplant and began her re-birth.

Here is what Jeremy wrote:

Dear Anonymous Donor,

My name is Jeremy and today you became a part of my family. Today is the day that my wife, Jessica, received your donated stem cells, AKA "bone marrow transplant." I don't think there is a "Thank You For Your Stem Cell Donation" Hallmark Card in production yet, so I'm going to kind of wing it here. I've been trying to think about how best to convey our gratitude, but when I think about what you have gone through to donate stem cells, I know, that you know, that you've saved my wife's life. Period.

My gut wants to know more about you and I imagine that you are curious about Jess. I have the good fortune of knowing Jess pretty well and think that I may be able to provide you with a taste of Jess to ease your curiosity. The simplest way to describe Jess, totally objectively of course, is that she is an angel that walks among us. Her soul is built out of compassion and her true nature trends towards caring for those around her. Jess has manifested this by working as a hospice nurse and providing families with the support they need as they transition to the end of life.

As a mother of a spry 3.5 year old girl (Kaia), Jess exudes patience and love on a regular basis. She sees the big picture of what is important to teach Kaia, being kind to those around us and feeling good about oneself, and also wants the best for Kaia in every moment. These past few months have challenged our family and especially placed a great deal of ache into our hearts as we try our best to guide Kaia through understanding Jess' extended absences due to illness. Your gift makes this ache in our hearts only temporary and hopefully this time period will have only been a hodgepodge of faint memories for Kaia that mostly include eating sweet treats at the hospital and lots of fun grandparent time.

Jess is the type of person who, after having gone through four bone marrow biopsies, yes they are as painful as they sound, volunteered to do extra biopsies as part of a double blind clinical trial for a post transplant medication. Jess may not receive the trial medication, but she will have to undergo additional biopsies. When deciding whether or not to participate in the study Jess' first reaction was that she wanted to help others in the future who may be going through the same thing as her and not about her own discomfort.

One of my favorite descriptions I've heard of Jess is when a close friend of ours lamented about how extra shocking this has all been because Jess is such a "sprite." Besides the sugary beverage and reference to fairies I'm not sure I know what that means, but when I say it out loud and think about Jess it all makes sense. Jess has a zest for life. She is happiest when she is camping in nature or dancing to live music. This sounds like what a "sprite" should be.

When Jess dances the floor opens up and others can't help but gravitate closer to her with each new beat. Hearing strangers say such things as, "I don't know what that is, but I sure like it," as they smile widely with each of Jess' well timed gyrations. Jess longs to participate in a massive Bollywood style flash dance. Anyone who has ever gone camping with Jess knows that it is a part of her being. She makes sleeping outside, drinking hot tea off of a camp stove, and shoveling avocado into her mouth with her hands look like the way life is supposed to be lived.

Where I've stumbled and faltered Jess has stood tall and steady. Where others shy away and question themselves, Jess speaks her mind and questions what is right. I've watched Jess struggle with today's political climate. She's not interested in pop culture, gossip, or money and power. The news makes her sad, but she strives to "remember the helpers." She really is the type of person that makes the rest of us better.

She's cried a lot these past few months, but today marks the first point in a new direction. By no means will it be easy, but she is now on a path to real recovery. Jessica is a gift to me, our family, and our community, and now she will carry a piece of you with her in all that she does.

Lots of love,  Lansing3