Jane Walker

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Our mom, Jane, is also sister, aunt, grandmother and friend to many loved ones. She has been struggling over the years with rheumatoid arthritis which required a regimen of medications that was detrimental to her bones. Her balance has been affected for many reasons and gotten worse over the years leading to occasional falls and more recently frequent falls. She has suffered unfortunate fractures over the years as well that did not heal well and developed neuropathies, as well as other very painful consequences of a combination of health conditions that has made daily life for years much more painful than most of us could imagine. Leading up to the Covid-19 shutdown, she had a very alarming appointment with her KU Med orthopedic surgeon who let her know her cervical spine was so damaged that one bad fall could result in death or paralysis. Her daughter Laura and son-in-law Brent over the years and especially the past 6 months and this past critical month had been living with her or checking on her constantly to keep her safe, but the week leading up to her hospitalization it became clear she could not be safe on her own at all anymore. She became very confused, had no appetite and could not get around her house safely even with a walker or her daughter or son-in-law helping. Laura took her to KU Med on April 20th to the ER after asking Jane’s PCP, and they agreed that with the risk of paralysis and death with one bad fall, KU was the best place to go for her orthopedic doc to follow up with her. She will likely go to a rehab unit and then a long term skilled nursing facility next. We will provide updates here and can answer questions here as Jane has many wonderful family, friends and colleagues from her 35+ years as a teacher and principal and student advocate in the Kansas City Missouri School District. Much love from Jane to you all! She is still her sweet lil self and misses her family and friends so much. What an awful time to go into the hospital and long term care for someone who just wants to have their grandchildren, family and friends to visit with while she heals. Prayers for the easing of horrific pain, choice of best place for her to discharge to and for a long term quality of life for this force of life we know as Jane Walker!