SMAS Day 2024
Today is purple day in the Jackson household, but not because the Ravens are playing. Today is SMAS Awareness Day. Each year, I try to give a glimpse into Jayde's journey with this disease. Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome. What can I tell you that you haven't already heard? SMAS is so much more than nausea, pain, vomiting, and weight loss. This disease is relentless, it's frustrating, and it is heartbreaking. That is on a good day, and I am only the mother and caregiver. Yes, those are two very different roles, and I will be the first to admit that on the bad days, I find it challenging to figure out where one begins and the other ends. About a week ago, I told a dear friend, "If I don’t answer when you call, it's because I am having trouble getting my arm out of the straight jacket." The culprit of my most recent spiral into madness—Jayde's port. Along with her many illnesses, Jayde has Factor V Leiden Mutation. This is a genetic mutation that cause