MS or multiple sclerosis kills thousands of people every year. It attacks the body’s immune system which causes difficulty in mobility of the body. There is no known cure. On September 17, 2016 my mom and I rode 50 miles in honor of Judy Storck who fought her battle bravely for 40 years. Together my mom and I raised over $1000 towards research for a cure. Here is Judy’s story: Judy Stork fought her battle bravely for 40 years. She was diagnosed at the age of 28, just after giving birth to her last of 3 daughters. She experienced many symptoms that are common to victims of MS, such as fatigue, tingling, numbness, and spasticity. She was later diagnosed with secondary progressive MS which has a slow decline. Being diagnosed with this illness is very scary. Although Judy and her family were scared of the future ahead of them, they were not going to let this stop them from living their lives to the fullest. Woody Stork, her husband was her main caretaker. He stood by her every step of the way, being her own personal “cheerleader”. He always tried to make her feel that she was special and shower her with love and support. When symptoms started to escalate for Judy, Woody was there to brush her teeth, help her eat, make her feel as comfortable as possible. MS is different for everyone. The symptoms vary dramatically from patient to patient. Judy’s particular type of MS, secondary progressive, meant that over a long period of time, her health would slowly decline. In the beginning, she was able to carry on with her normal life. In her free time, Judy loved to spend her day outdoors. She loved flowers, birds, and art. During the fall she would ride an electric scooter around their neighborhood or would have Woody drive her through the Watchung Reservation to admire the foliage. At the point where Judy was in a wheel chair, Woody would have her sit outside on the porch, where she called to the birds by names. He even installed a wheel chair accessible lift to help assist her in and out of their pool, so she could go for a swim in the summers. Woody and his three girls did their best to make Judy feel as comfortable as possible while at home. They made a point to involve her in as many family occasions as possible but of course there were just some things Judy could not do. When Judy was unable to be there for her children, Woody stepped in to assist in her role. He was the one who took his three girls prom dress shopping. “My girls grew up tough, they were there to support each other when things got hard,” explained Woody. Although the girls never knew their mother without MS, they still loved her immensely and she them. As time progressed so did Judy’s MS. The last few years of her life were the toughest for her. This was the time when she lost most of her mobility and control over her bodily functions. She had to be put on an oxygen mobilizer to assist her breathing and her immune system became highly susceptible to illnesses like pneumonia and UTIs. “Through the whole thing, she never was the type of person to complain. She fought a lot longer than everyone expected, she never gave up,” said Woody. The last month of her life was the hardest. At this point her body began to shut down. She was no longer receptive, and would her body refused food or water. Judy died, September 1, 2015. She fought her battle for 40 years. She was 68 when she died.
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The Cheer Angel
“Janet Zilinski was best described as compassionate, loving, caring, sensitive, and a giving person. She was considerate of everyone’s feelings, she loved beyond imagine, and cared about everything and everyone.” She was a devoted daughter and sister. “She had a warmth to her that was contagious”. Janet had a quiet confidence to her. She stood up for what she believed in and was an advocate for kindness. She always looked out for her little brother, Jimmy and she loved her family with every ounce of her being. Janet was always a happy person. She was a cheer leader and would always be seen cheering and supporting her friends and family even outside of cheer practice. Janet and I both attended the same summer camp in 2006. Although I didn’t know her very well what I did know was how much her loss affected everyone the day of August 10th 2006. The entire camp was distraught, I remember seeing every staff and camp member crying. It just goes to show how much of an effect her presence had on everyone there. Janet died from cardiac arrest while at cheer practice. The cause of her death is still unknown because she did not have any previous medical complications. However, even through her family’s distress they refused to let Janet be forgotten. In Janet’s honor they created the Janet Fund. Their mission is to “dedicate themselves to preventing sudden cardiac death in New Jersey’s youth through awareness, legislation, AED placement and training. It is their mission to make Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) available in every school in NJ and make them commonplace on playing fields.” Because of the Zilinski family the Janet Law was passed on September 1st, 2014 which requires a well identified AED to be on site at all schools K-12 and have employees be certified with the use of an AED. Their story is truly inspiring. Through Janet, they are saving the lives of many more children and continuing Janet’s legacy of kindness. In honor of Janet I’d like to keep her legacy alive. Janet once said “Sometimes you have to do things to make yourself happy", for me this is running. Before my eating disorder running was the one thing in the world that made me feel most alive and I was my happiest while doing it. Unfortunately it became a symptom of my eating disorder and quickly made me sick. I am trying to find my happiness again in running by fueling it for a cause. In this race, I am running it for Janet. I will use Janet’s competitive spirit to motivate me and rediscover the joy in running once again. Thank you, Janet, for your kindness and compassion and for inspiring me to continue doing what makes me most happy in life. You will never be forgotten. You can learn more about Janet’s story and what her parents are doing in her memory and how you can support at http://www.janetzilinski.org/ |
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