Hello everyone,

We have discovered that there has been some confusion about what actually happened to Jen. We decided as a page that it was necessary to give you all the most accurate information so that you understand this situation as best as you can. 

Jen had been having difficulty breathing for several weeks in November/December. Her friends and family told her she needed to see a doctor because she had been very uncomfortable and needed medical attention. She went to the doctor and told them she was having difficulty breathing and they sent her home dismissing the situation. On Christmas morning Jen collapsed, she couldn't breathe. Her brother and father gave her CPR until the paramedics were able to get her to the hospital. Due to the stress on her body, her heart stopped several times which left her brain without oxygen. Thankfully, the paramedics were able to resuscitate her.

When the brain is left without oxygen for over four minutes, it starts shutting down. That is where her brain injury stemmed from. When she made it to the hospital, they took chest x-rays and found she had multiple pulmonary embolisms, or clots of the lungs. They air lifted her to a larger hospital in Albany where they specialize in this type of injury. She was placed in a medically induced coma for her body and brain to stabilize and allowing the doctors to run tests to figure out where this came from. She stayed in the coma for about a week.

It turns out that Jen had blood clots in her legs, and they broke loose and travelled to her lungs. There were several of them and they made breathing extremely difficult for her. That morning, her lungs were not absorbing enough oxygen which is what caused her collapse. Jen suffers from a genetic disorder called Deep Vein Thrombosis that predisposed her to getting these blood clots. While it did not cause them, it allowed for them to form. We are still unsure what caused these clots, and it might be a combination of many factors.

Once Jen's body was stabilized, she was moved to the rehabilitation facility that she is currently in. She had to learn to breath on her own and continues to relearn how to control her body. She is able to move certain parts of her body when asked, but it requires a great deal of concentration. She is fully aware of her surroundings and we believe her memory remains in tact.

Jen began laughing a few weeks ago. It is a relief to know she is able to sense when something is humorous and even remembers inside jokes from the past few years. She laughs when Niall talks to her and when Rachel and Ashley show her old videos of herself. Her and Nicole share inside jokes all the time and she will laugh when reminded of things from several days prior.

Jen is a resilient young lady. She has come a long way since December and continues to recover at her own pace. She is doing incredible things that surprise even the most seasoned doctors. Jen has a long road ahead of her and that is why we are here. We want to make her future recovery possible with the most up to date technologies, giving her the best chance of recovery possible.

Thank you for reading,
The Help Jen Team

Hello readers!

I just wanted to let you know about a donation opportunity here in Syracuse! Thanks to the kindness of the Syracuse University Marching Band fraternity and sorority, Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, we are having a fundraiser at the local Tully's Good Times on Erie Blvd. All you need is the attached flyer and 10% of your check goes to the Benefit for Jennifer Luft! This flyer is only redeemable on Tuesday April 16, 2013!

Thank you so much for reading!
Rachel Reymann

Hi readers!

My name is Rachel and I am one of the editors of this site and one of the moderators on Jen's facebook page. Jen is one of my best friends from college. On the first day of marching band, we all introduce ourselves in sections. From the very moment Jen and our friend Ashley introduced themselves, we knew we were meant to be best friends and have been ever since. We spent every day together talking and being goofy. We got along so well that it seemed as if we had known each other forever!

The day I found out Jen was in the hospital I was distraught. I couldn't believe that something like this could possibly happen to Jen! Ashley and I wanted to go see her so bad that it was painful; we hadn't not been in touch since we first became friends. The three of us were glued to our three way iphone chat for nearly five months and talked every single day for 

The first time we were allowed to visit was nearly two weeks after Jen was admitted to the hospital. It was the hardest moment of my entire life, I had never had someone so close to me in such dire straights! Jen did not look like herself and it was so scary seeing her in the condition she was in. 

She was sleeping nearly the entire visit, but for the few moments she was awake she had complete recognition in her eyes. She looked in between Ashley and I as we were talking to her and we could see she was relieved we were with her and knew who we were. It was at that moment that I knew Jen was aware and knew what was going on around her. Jen was still my best friend and was the person I had grown to love like a sister.

From that point on, I have gone to see Jen as often as I can. I have been able to watch her go through therapy and see the incredible progress she has made! She continues to improve and impress us all every single day. I am so proud of her for how far she has come and how strong she is. She has so much determination to get better and I know that she will make an incredible recovery! 

I will update this blog as often as I can with stories from my visits and the progress I have witnessed. You should know how wonderful Jen is and that she is a really special woman. I want Jen to have all of the opportunities she can possibly receive to make the best recovery possible. 

The most important thing that we can do is raise money for Jen's care. While she is making progress, she is unable to care for herself and will need full time care until the time comes when she might be able to care for herself. That is the goal of this website and what I have thrown all of my energy into. Since I am stuck at school and am only able to visit Jen on the weekends, I spend my spare time focusing my energy on fundraising and setting up Jen's websites. I am the moderator on Jen's facebook page, twitter and this website. When you talk to someone on one of these accounts, more times than not, you are conversing with me.

Thank you so much for reading and feel free to comment with suggestions for our websites and how we might improve your experience on this site!

-Rachel