Jaquie was diagnosed with EDS at the age of I believe 20. I learned about Jaquie through her YouTube channel chronically Jaquie. She actually only lived about an hour from me. Not only was Jaquie someone I looked up to in the community but she was also a friend, mentor, and an inspiration to me and thousands of other people. She shared her story everyday she vlogged and raised awareness too. She helped me when I got diagnosed with EDS; she helped me feel less alone, she helped me know I can still live a life even with the pain and other symptoms that come with EDS, and she told me that every day is a new day and your only limit is yourself. Jaquie tragically passed away, but even though she is gone she continues to inspire me every single day. When I’m having a really bad day I think of her, how she would be frustrated or down in the moment, but then she would quickly turn around and think about all the positives. Her faith was very strong too and she inspired me to to pray more and she helped my faith grow. She also taught me a lot about service dogs as she had a service dog named Harlow that she self-trained. And that dating and having a love life is still possible even with chronic illness. Jaquie and her husband were very supportive of each other and were a good example of how couples should be especially if a significant other has a chronic illness. Jaquie was a fighter. She was a warrior. And even though she is gone she is not forgotten. She touched my life a lot. I’m very thankful for the few conversations I got to have with her. And I believe she left an imprint on the chronic illness community and beyond that won’t be forgotten and that will continue to help people for a long time. (Katie Stanina)
