There are “Team Jessica” car decals available that feature the verse Exodus 14:14 and a picture of Jessica's favorite animal, a sea turtle. They are available in two sizes, small or large, and are $10 each. To purchase a decal and show your support, contact Caitlin Harrison at (850) 322-4977. The net profits from these proceeds go to the Jessica Mullinax family.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to raise money in order to help Jessica Mullinax and her family with the extensive medical expenses that have been accrued during her stay in ICU and to help with the future plans for rehabilitation. To help with donations, visit, www.gofundme.com/bestill4jessi, and click “Donate Now.” The goal is to raise $20,000, and as of yet the fund has raised $3,155 towards that goal.
Team Jessica t-shirts, with the scripture verse, The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still, (Exodus 14:14), the wordage “Team Jessica” on the top of the shirt and Mullinax's favorite animal, a sea turtle, displayed in the middle were available to purchase for $20. Proceeds from these sales were contributed to the Jessica Mullinax family. Devin Thompson was responsible for placing the orders and their distribution.
A silent auction will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8 at the First United Methodist Church, located at 348 SW Rutledge St., in Madison. The event will start around 9 a.m. Participants are asking for assorted donations of any kind to help make this event successful. For more information concerning the silent auction, or to help by donating an item, contact Mikayla Ragans at (850) 464-4660.
Kelly Greene
Greene Publishing, Inc.
On Tuesday, Aug. 16, Jessica Mullinax, 20, of Madison, sustained serious head injuries from a car wreck that resulted in her being air-lifted to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH) via ShandsCair.
Mullinax was traveling southbound on Little Cat Road (County Road 146) when Michael Taggert, 54, of Madison, who was traveling north bound in a 1995 Econoline van, turned left into the path of Mullinax's 2007 Pontiac G5, creating a collision.
Mullinax is the daughter of Gary and Wendy Silvernell, of Madison, and the sister of Trey, who is nine-years-old. In 2014, she graduated from Madison County High School and the following year she graduated from North Florida Community College. Before her accident she was employed full-time at Davis, Schnitker, Reeves & Browning as a secretary and was enrolled in classes at St. Leo University in pursuit of a business degree.
Mullinax underwent emergency brain surgery, a craniotomy, a craniectomy and other additional procedures to save her life immediately following her arrival to TMH. After these surgeries, she remained in critical condition with minimal brain activity. Shortly after her admission, she endured a five hour brain surgery and was then placed in Neuro-ICU. There she remained intubated and on a ventilator for several days.
Within the first week of her stay in ICU, she began to breathe on her own with no assistance from the ventilator. Since her admission to ICU, they have placed a tracheotomy in her throat to help assist her with breathing, a feeding tube placed in her abdomen, facial surgery to repair some the facial fractures she obtained and an internal shunt to drain the fluid from her brain.
Mullinax was improving immensely with the decreased fluid and swelling which enabled her to write on her whiteboard, and walk three steps with physical therapy. With this progress, the physicians and her family had plans to move her to Shepard's Rehabilitation Center (SRC), in Atlanta, for a more extensive rehabilitation program. These plans have been delayed due to setbacks in her recovery.
The first setback was a bleed outside of her brain which resulted in an emergency craniotomy. They placed an additional drain and the current shunt was removed during the procedure. She lost some of her responsiveness following the surgery, but was able to brush her teeth independently the next day.
The second setback occurred later that afternoon when she had another procedure performed which resulted in another emergency brain surgery.
Since the last surgery that was on Sunday, Sept., 11, she has been breathing on her own, just with the help of the humidity provided by the tracheostomy. Mullinax has become more alert and responsive with each day.
According to her mother, Windy Silvernell, they will hopefully be able to continue with the plans to transfer Mullinax to SRC soon. One requirement is that she remain in stable condition with no surgeries preceding the move.
A fun run/walk will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Lake Frances, starting at 8 a.m. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Community members are encouraged to participate in this event by running or walking a mile to show support for Jessica Mullinax and her family. The registration fee is $25, which includes a t-shirt, or $20 for just a t-shirt. T-shirts are available in youth sizes that are small, medium or large and in adult sizes that are available up to an XXXL. Supporters may pre-register at the following locations in Madison: Norris Café, located at 140 Range St.; Southern Grace Gifts, located at 224 Range St.; Penelope's Boutique, located at 122 SW Horry Ave.; and Stacy & Company, located at 376 NE Sumpter St. Make all checks payable to Wendy Silvernell. For more information, contact Gena Plain at (850) 464-4659.
There will be a benefit lunch held on Saturday, Oct. 8, that consists of pulled pork and the trimmings. This event will be held on the lawn of the Madison County Courthouse, located at 125 SW Range Ave., from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. The cost for each plate is $8. For any questions concerning this event, contact Lynne Brown at (850) 464-1350.
