Information on Mrs. Jackowicz

Mrs. Jackowicz suffered a serious fall on Saturday, July 25, 2009 and fractured two vertebrae. She is in a neck brace and has difficulty moving her arms and legs, breathing on her own, and speaking.

Marty has undergone many and varied treatments, including the insertion of a pacemaker and a feeding tube into her stomach. In the fall, she spent more than three months in a skilled nursing facility in West Orange, NJ undergoing an intensive program of speech therapy, learning how to eat regular foods, and breathing without the use of the ventilator.

Early this year, Marty returned to her home which had to be extensively renovated to accommodate her new first floor bedroom with its assorted array of equipment. She has enjoyed good days and suffered through many arduous days. Complications from bed sores, infections and lack of exercise have made it, at times, a very difficult situation for all involved. There are also short returns to the hospital for more acute care.

Through it all, Marty has retained her sense of humor with communications a combination of lip reading, head nodding and other visual indications of the intended message.

We will keep you posted by updating this page on the Kellenberg Memorial Website (www.kellenberg.org).