Latest Update on Jessica

Jessica was released from the hospital this afternoon. Many tests were done over the past 24 hours. We have mixed feelings as we are happy to report that nothing life-threatening was discovered; however, we are disappointed the doctors were unable to provide us with a clear explanation as to why Jessica continues to have these pain attacks. The neurologist started her on a medication for a possible neuralgia though her symptoms don't all match up to indicate this is her problem. He feels the chances of this medication working for her are slim, so he recommended she attend some special sessions on developing pain management skills in order to learn to cope with ongoing severe pain. Jessica has a follow-up visit with him in a few weeks.

As you can imagine, our hearts are heavy as we contemplate the ramifications of not having a clear diagnosis and treatment. Please continue to pray for wisdom as we consider the next step.

Admitted...

At the ER, Jessica had a pain attack when the doctor was in the room this time. We praise the Lord they decided to admit her and start running some tests. We will see the neurologist in a few hours.

Thanks for praying...

Going to the ER...

Jessica's pains are once again five minutes apart so we are headed out the door to the ER at Children's Hospital in hopes that maybe we can speed up that visit with the neurologist.

Please pray we can see a neurologist tonight.

Appointment Scheduled...

We praise the Lord Jessica was able to get an appointment with a neurologist on May 7th. Thank you for your continued prayers.

Appointment with ENT specialist...

We want to thank everyone who prayed for our appointment today with the ENT specialist from Children's Hospital. He was very caring and knowledgeable. After examining Jessica, looking at her MRI and CT scan, and listening to her history, he felt certain these extreme sporadic pains are neurological in nature. He is in the process of trying to get an expedited appointment with a neurologist. Please pray we will be able to get an appointment soon.

We are thankful Jessica's pain attacks have subsided substantially. While she continues to have them, they are much more manageable now. Though we still don't have any clear answers, we are encouraged by today's visit, and feel we are one step closer to a resolution.

We've Arrived...

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support for our family. The Lord has used you to be such a blessing to us during these difficult days. We want to thank you for all the gifts which allowed us to purchase our plane tickets. This has been a HUGE answer to prayer, and a testimony to God's faithfulness.

Thank you for your prayers for our trip back to the States. The flights were long, but overall things went well. After spending over thirty hours flying, we were reminded of just how far away PNG really is!

Last night we took Jessica to the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. We were there for six hours and met many wonderful doctors and nurses. After an evening of listening to Jessica's history, examining her, and reviewing MRIs and CT scans, the doctors didn't have any clear answers. They feel she needs to be seen by someone who is willing to do some "detective work" in eliminating potential causes. They sent us home with a number to call the following morning to set up an appointment with an ENT pediatric specialist from Children's Hospital. We were disappointed when we called this number and discovered that the soonest opening was for sometime in May or early June. After being on the phone all morning, Phil was finally able to secure an appointment due to a recent cancellation. So Jessica's appointment is scheduled for this coming Monday at 3:00pm. This,we believe, was a direct answer to prayer, and another reminder that God is guiding us step by step.

We will keep you updated as we gain new information.

Update on Jessica...

Your emails, phone calls, and gifts have been a huge encouragement to us, while we waited anxiously for the week to pass, hoping all the while that Jessica would not take a turn for the worse.

Jessica continues with the same pain for the most part. There are new pains that are starting to be more continual in her right ear, while at the same time the severe painful attacks have grown a little further apart for which we are grateful. We are praying that she will continue with these attacks long enough so that the doctors at the Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH can help diagnose what is going on.

Many of you have asked for our itinerary to "track" us as we traveled...so I have converted all the local times to one time zone to make it a little easier for tracking purposes.

- Eastern Standard Time -

Sunday 10pm - Kristi and the kids will be arriving to Cairns, Australia.

Monday 3am - Family leaves for Sydney, Australia.

Monday 1pm - Leave for Chicago

Tuesday 7 pm - Arrive in Chicago

Tuesday 10 pm - Arrive in Columbus


We will be without email communication for the next few days until we arrive in Columbus...when we get back to Ohio and get set back up again, we will be sure to post another update.

Sincerely, Phil Jansma

Please Pray!

We had our appointment with the ENT Doctor here in Cairns, Australia today and it has been made very clear to us that there is nothing further that can be done here in Australia that we are comfortable with. Jessica continues to experience the excruciating pain and is on heavy medication but with no relief.

Consequently, based on our advisor's recommendation, we are making plans to head back to Columbus, OH, where we plan to get Jessica checked into the Children's Hospital as soon as we can. We were hoping it wouldn't come to this, but we find no other options on this side of the world that can help her at this time. Because of the possible longevity in diagnoses and treatment we will all be returning until something is discovered.

Please pray with us regarding our financial needs. We have depleted our savings and emergency funds due to the other emergency flights and procedures which have already occurred. This new anticipated cost is approximately $15,000 and that is even by waiting for an April 14th flight out - any sooner would double that cost.

We know that God has all the resources required to make this trip...or choose to heal Jessica and completely relieve all her pain and discomfort. Also please pray in anticipation that the Lord will provide relief to her pain during the flight back to the states if it is required.


Thank you so much for your many prayers.

Please contact us if you would be interested in giving a donation towards this need.

MRI Opening

Thank you for your prayers for Jessica today. She had several of the "pain attacks" while in the doctor's office so he was able to see first hand what they are like. He said in all his many years as a doctor he has never seen anything like the pain she is having. He ordered an MRI, but told Phil there was a two to three week wait to be able to get one.

The receptionist then suggested to Phil that they wait in the waiting room for a possibility of being "fit in" between appointments. They waited five hours, but were able to get the MRI today! The results will be ready tomorrow morning. Praise the Lord with us that they didn't have to wait weeks just to get the MRI! Please pray for wisdom for the doctor as he looks at these results (hopefully tomorrow) and tries to determine what is wrong with Jessica. Thank you for all your prayers and support for our family during this difficult time.

Kristi Jansma

pray for visas!!!

Jessica's pain has not let up any over the last few days. The doctor advised us to take her to Port Moresby, the city where the medical visas are issued. It is our prayer that when those in charge personally see how much pain she is in, they will decide to expedite the paperwork. Phil and Jessica will be leaving on a flight in just a few hours (Sunday morning here). There are still several important items we haven't been able to gather in order to complete the application process. Please pray with us that over the next 24 hours we can gather these and be ready to present our case Monday morning.

Thank you for your prayers, and the hundreds of notes of encouragement. They mean SO much to our family!

Phil and Kristi Jansma

Please continue to pray!

Thank you for all your encouraging e-mails. We appreciate your prayers for Jessica and our entire family during this very difficult time. Since Tuesday morning Jessica has been in excruciating pain. We are thankful though that these pains are sporadic----she has anywhere from three minutes to forty-five minutes where there is no pain. At one point yesterday she had an hour and a half between pains, but then last night she was having them every few minutes again. Anticipating these painful episodes is hard on her, so the doctor put her on Valium which has seemed to help with her anxiety.

Yesterday our doctor here was able to talk with the surgeon in Australia who put the tubes in her ears a month ago. Together they decided there was one more possibility to rule out before we have to leave the country to seek more help. So they are testing her now to see if she has a possible virus in her nerves. From what I understand, they have put her on a medication that is supposed to numb the nerve endings. If she still experiences the severe pain, then we will know this probably isn't the problem, but if the pain lets up then it may possibly indicate that there is a nerve issue. She has only had two doses of this medicine so far, but has had a very painful night. We will see what the morning holds. This medicine makes her very sleepy as well, but that may be a good thing if it helps her to manage her pain better.

Our major prayer request is for us to be able to get a medical visa into Australia QUICKLY. We filled out the necessary paperwork and Phil even went into town to get a chest x-ray. We are planning to send these applications to Port Moresby tomorrow. The earliest they could be approved is most likely Tuesday afternoon, but it could possibly take until Friday or the following Monday. Please pray with us that those in charge will see the urgency in Jessica's situation and will expedite the visas.

We had considered trying to get her back to the USA as it may have ended up being quicker because we don't need to apply for visas there, but our doctor here felt certain that Jessica couldn't endure the 30 hour transatlantic flight in her condition. And since they haven't been able to rule out a pressure problem, we don't know how her ears will respond to flying. The 3 hour flight to Australia will be much better.

We do have more prayer requests for if and when we get to Australia, but for now our two main ones are #1 that the pain will stop TODAY, a #2 that the visa process will go QUICKLY and that we can be ready to travel Tuesday or Wednesday if the pain hasn't stopped.

Thank you for your prayers on our behalf. We know that the Lord is faithful and must have a purpose for all of this...so we are resting in Him on this thought.

Pain continues on...

Thank you for your prayers on our behalf.

Jessica's pains, although spaced a little further apart now, continue on as before.

Please continue to pray that a solution will be found soon.

- Phil and Kristi Jansma

At home and still praying!

The doctor, having done all he could at present, sent Jessica home to continue taking her medications. She continues with the pain but it has slowed down some. She has been able to sleep off and on for several hours tonight, which is a blessing.

Please pray that the antibiotics and decongestants do their work to relieve the pain.

Please pray that the doctor would be guided in his research to find the right solution for Jessica.

Thank you for praying...

Phil and Kristi Jansma

A turn for the worse...

After Jessica's arrival back we have been closely monitoring her ears. Everything seemed to be going a long fine, and we were encouraged with the progress - until last night.

She complained about a dull ear ache and this morning we awoke to the severe ear pain we had dealt with prior to the medivac to Australia - she screams out in pain every few minutes. The pain lasts anywhere from 20 to 40 seconds.

The tubes are in their proper place, we did a blockage test and it appears to be free. There is a bit of redness in the ear but nothing that significant.

The doctor is starting her back on some antibiotics, pain medicine, relaxant, and a decongestant...etc., He is hoping that we can calm whatever is causing all this pain.

Please pray for wisdom for our Doctor and nurses as they attend to her needs.

Sincerely, Phil and Kristi Jansma