Jenny: A Survivor's Last Hope

If you are also my Facebook friend, you know I am knee-deep in something huge. Here's the gist. I'm trying to post it on the FB page I have up, but have a little learning curve to meet first. Please, please, please, please, please LIKE this page and share it on your FB. Thanks! More later--Jenn

Who is Jenny and what is a PITA Mom? Jenny C. Rocha is a resident of Baytown, Texas (outside Houston). She’s a 33-yr. old woman with a 25-year history of anorexia and bulimia. She was born profoundly hearing-impaired and her life up to this point has been marked by trauma, neglect and dysfunction. She is also a survivor—if she wasn’t she’d have been dead a long time ago. Jenny’s fighting spirit is what brought Jenny and the PITA Moms together—trapped in a house (not truly a home) with no transportation and little money, she knew that SHE herself was the only person that could save her from her eating disorder (ED) and she knew she desperately wanted to live. She set out to build a Facebook community to find the support she needed to save herself; it was a Hail Mary pass and she knew it. The PITA moms (even before they knew they were doing it), went long, caught the pass and now Jenny and the PITA Moms are fighting together to maneuver past all the blockers (Medicare, a nonsensical Medicare system, unfeeling bureaucracies) and make it the end zone—treatment for Jenny.

Who are the PITA Moms? The PITA* (Jenny calls us pain-in-the-asses for our firm, loving stance: not eating is not an option with this crowd) Moms are a collection of nine women from across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom who have had daughters with eating disorders and have transformed into passionate advocates working to improve clinician education and access to treatment for those suffering from this tragic, insidious and misunderstood disease. Individually Jenny and the pre-PITA moms noticed one another on ED forums began talking and coalesced into a magical happening. The PITA Moms have spent (to date) three months providing meal support to Jenny via Skype and working on treatment for Jenny. 

As it stands now, there is a bed at Rosewood Ranch Eating Disorder Treatment in Center in Wickenburg, Arizona (Texas has no facilities able to take someone with the myriad medical issues Jenny has and with a permanent feeding tube). There is also a denial letter from Amerigroup insurance company (her coverage is through Texas Medicaid) stating that residential treatment is only for serious cases (yes, it’s okay to laugh at this point). Houston Methodist sees and admits her frequently, puts Band-Aids on her medical issues (things like a potassium level so low she is at risk of heart attack, and a TSH level so high that an MRI reveals dangerous swelling of her pituitary gland) and puts her in a taxi home (12/7/13 that was at 11 p.m. on a freezing night). 

Will you help us stop this madness and put pressure on Amerigroup to cover the life-saving treatment that Jenny C. Rocha needs? Please ask your friends to like this page and follow @JugglingJenn on twitter and re-tweet #txforjenny tweets. 

Comments

[Jessica]

The insurance needs to send her to treatment . Her ED is very serious. Insurance companies are very ignorant with EDs. I know by personal experience. Don't give up Jenny. Your PITA moms and I love you. I'm sure many others love you too. Keep fighting. It's worth it in the end

[Jen on the Edge]

Keep fighting Jenny!

Jenn, what kinds of things do you want us to tweet at Amerigroup (plus anyone else?)?

[Jenn @ Juggling Life]

Just follow the lead on my tweets. More later.

Sent from my iPhone

[MAED Pita Mum G]

Up and at 'em - will post blog and tweet as well as all the re-tweets from this twitty PITA mom :-) x

[mrs. g.]

I wish Jenny the best and feel certain you and the other PITA moms will make sure she gets it.

[Tuscan]

I hope she will get better

[Jennyrocha.wordpress.com]

Thank you guys!!!! I love you all too! Let's kick ins. Butts and win, not only for me, but for many others too! ♡ ♡ ♡

[Rainbow Motel]

Will do this for sure. Good on your being such a helper!

[Busy Bee Suz]

Wishing Jenny all the best for recovery and good health. I'm late reading this….going to the FB page and *crossing fingers* there is a good update! You are the best PITA Jenn.
XO