26-Year-Old Du Quoin Woman Waits for Second Donor Heart

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[It's time to square things for a 26-year-old Du Quoin woman who has given so much to so many and asked for nothing in return.

Her name is Jenny (Johnson) Bulliner, the daughter of Dana and Kim Johnson of Du Quoin, who awaits a donor heart for what will be her second heart transplant in 10 years.

Jenny was stricken by cancer at the age of 7, and by the age of 16 the cancer treatments had exhausted her heart.

She waited months for the first heart--now in the throes of rejection-- and she has already waited five weeks for the second.

A match could be around the corner or not at all, but the sophistication of the nation's evolving donor programs make it very likely that the second donor heart will avail itself--and all are hoping it will be the heart that will last a lifetime.

Jenny was a longtime employee of Mc Donald's Restaurant in Du Quoin before taking a position at Memorial Hospital in Carbondale about six months ago. Her husband is Will Bulliner

With cutting edge medicine all around her, it is the insurance industry that has let the family down.

It will not cover Jenny's second heart transplant because the first transplant creates a "pre-existing" condition.

American medicine that is the envy of the world falls apart under the shortcomings of the delivery system that it is at the mercy of.

"All you can do is wait," says Jenny's mother. "We hope it is only a matter of hours," she said.

Jenny's stay in Barnes Hospital gets down to safety.

She is cared for there and when a match is found every minute counts--whether the heart is driven across town or flown cross country.

Jenny was admitted to Barnes before the holidays following a number of rejection "episodes." She is kept stable by medicines that keep her other organs from shutting down, and is surrounded by love.

Her parents are on the road all the time and live a life blurred by the constant maelstrom of hope and fear.

They choose hope.

Monday, January 25 is "Pancake Day" at Mc Donald's. Everyone loves pancakes, but even if you don't, you've got four days to start loving them.

The $5 tickets (actually a donation) need to be purchased ahead of time.

See Heather Lee at Mc Donald's or call 318-2689. Serving is from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Or, feel free to make a donation by cash or check at the restaurant, and Mc Donald's will see to it that the money gets to the family. Make your checks out to the Jenny (Johnson) Bulliner Medical Fund.

In fact, this may be the ultimate selfless Valentine's gift that will accomplish much more than a spent box of chocolates. After all, this IS an affair of the heart.

Jenny's father, Dana, is co-owner of Du Quoin Auto Service. Dana himself has been out of work for several months due to health reasons. He has had both back and colon surgeries. He is looking at yet another surgery next spring or summer.

Friends of the family are working on a second benefit in late February at the American Legion in Du Quoin. Plans are not yet finalized and will be announced as they evolve.