Preston family rallies around grandma with chronic illness
Head down Harmony Road in Preston, Md. and you can’t miss the snow ball stand run by tiny smiling faces, Sno-Balls Chance. The exact address 6252 Harmon Rd.
At first glance it might look like any other kid run operation, but if you take to time to read the information flyers they have you learn the deeper meaning.
Derek Jones and his family are raising money because grandma, Dawn Jones, has a pulmonary hyptertension, a disease that constricts the blood vessels inside of her lungs and the right side of her heart.
“Last time I counted I took about 36 pills a day and I use a CPAP with oxygen at night always,” Jones said.
In addition, Jones must carry around a pump 24/7 that continuously gives her medication.
The disease is chronic and currently without a cure.
Similar to regular hypertension, known as high blood pressure, pulmonary hypertension refers to high blood pressure in the lungs.
Because of the high blood pressure the heart has to work harder to push blood through the narrowed arteries in the lungs.
The disease takes a significant toll on energy and activity levels and if left untreated it can lead to heart failure.
Back in 2000 doctors gave Jones three years to live, she’s now a long term survivor.
The money being raised is to help the family go to the next Pulmonary Hypertension Associations International Conference in 2018 in Orlando.
It’s educational, not just for patients but their families too.
“It explains to them, for the hospitalizations not to be scary, for the different machines and equipment, because like I said it’s oxygen a CPAP…. a lot of other people have different machines that are a little bit more frightening for kids,” Jones said.
Nine-year-old Derek said he got the snow cone stand idea from his mom, who used to have a snow cone stand as a child.
Derek said he wants to raise the money, because he wants to help grandma.
“She’s caring and whenever she wants me to do something I do it because when I ask her for something she always says yes,” Derek said.
Because of heath code restrictions, the snow cones are free, but the family asks for donations.
Derek ensures that every penny is saved and goes to Florida
“Everything is we gotta get to conference, we got to get to conference. We went away with friends last night and its like don’t spend too much, we don’t need to get an appetizer before dinner, you know everything is watch what we spend we got to get to Florida,” said Katie Jones, Derek’s mother.
The Jones family said it costs $2000 per person to go to the conference they aim to raise enough so that eight of them can attend.
For those that want to donate to the Pulmonary Hypertension Association for further research efforts just follow this link.
