Joclyn & Jeremy - In Sickness and in Health

Joclyn and Jeremy will be do a short reading from their memoir and then discussing Joclyn facing the very real risk of death if a donor couldn't be found or something went wrong with her heart transplant and Jeremy facing the terror of almost losing the love his life on the operating table and then waiting months to see if her reprieve would last. Facing mortality without the belief in an afterlife to lean on.

In Sickness and in Health: An inspiring story of love and survival when newly married Jocly and Jeremy’s new life together was suddenly interrupted by an extremely rare heart disease, propelling Joclyn to the top of the heart transplant recipient list.

Just a few months after their wedding, and a few weeks after running a 10K, a rare autoimmune disease landed Joclyn in the hospital with a failing heart. Enduring four open heart surgeries, rounds of experimental chemotherapy, a punctured lung, a lost voice, a pacemaker, an unsympathetic nurse, bedpans, and legitimately gruesome hospital food, it seemed the bad news would never end. But with the help of a top-notch medical team, supportive and loving friends and family, courage, a will to live, and a desire to just go home, they learned the true value of love, hope and life.

Joclyn, an occupational therapist, Jeremy, a public school administrator, live in Sacramento, California with their dog, Ramsay. Their experience received national attention and helped facilitate legislative reform surrounding “surprise medical bills,” out-of-network bills received when a patient has done everything he possibly can to remain in-network.