Remembering Jess Jacobs #UnicornJess

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Yesterday, our tribe of vocal sojourners and patient advocates lost one of its brightest lights. Jess Jacobs passed away after a long, amazingly chronicled ordeal with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) among other complex medical issues. Jess, ever beaming (I'm not kidding - even when she was in the middle of yet another medical ordeal - she radiated positivity and joy), took great pains to describe the indignities of being a cog in the healthcare machine.

Yesterday, twitter erupted with messages about Jess's passing. Friends like Mandi Bishop, Regina Holliday, and Carly Medosch posted their raw remembrances with equal parts of laughter and rage.

Tonight, we will gather virtually for a tweet chat where we will honor Jess and bask in her light. Here are the details...

When: Sunday, August 14, 2016, 8pm to 9pm ET
Where: http://twitter.com
Hashtag: #UnicornJess
Moderator: Ross Martin
Topics:

• T1: Tell us about when Jess made you smile or laugh
• T2: Tell us about when Jess made you think
• T3: Tell us about when Jess made you act
• T4: What tangible actions can we take to we honor Jess's memory as our "First to Fall" in The Walking Gallery?
• T5: Open sharing on other topics - we will make sure there is time for folks to share other thoughts and ideas.

If you've never participated in a tweet chat, here is a beginner's guide that can help you join in.

An in-person gathering will be hosted by Whitney Zatzkin and Donna Cryer for Saturday, August 20th, from noon to 5pm in Burke, VA near Washington, DC. You can register to attend and receive more details on the evite http://www.evite.com/event/006C5O3DADMZQ4UA4EPGMMF6HNMG7U?utm_source=NA&utm_medium=sharable_invite&utm_campaign=send_sharable_link. 

Update 8/17/16

The family has asked that donations be made in Jess's memory to The Waking Gallery. You can make donations through GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/h2dsdwe4