Humans of NGU: Jennifer Palmer and the story she did not write
Mary Margaret Ellison, Contributing Writer
Behind every book cover there is a story. Jennifer Palmer knows a lot about stories as she works as a librarian assistant at North Greenville University and has written and published a book of her own. Yet, there is a story that she did not write: her life story.
Palmer’s life took an unexpected turn when she went through a traumatic brain injury at 20 years old. She experienced a brain bleed that caused her to go into a month-long coma. This left her in ICU relying on a breathing tube to live. Today she is a survivor, but her recovery has been a long journey.
It all started in 2011 when she began to have neurological symptoms including dizziness and headaches. The summer following her high school graduation in 2011 she was diagnosed with ADEM. (According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis is an inflammation attack in the brain and spinal cord that can cause damage to myelin.) That fall, she began her studies at Elon University and within the first week of being on campus she began to have balance issues. Soon after she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
Throughout college her symptoms were manageable with the help of medication. Yet, when her dosage was lowered her symptoms would flare up and after attempting IV therapy, it was recommended she get a biopsy done. This biopsy caused a brain bleed leaving her in a coma for over a month.
She says the last memory she had was being disappointed that she got a B in Fiction Writing class. “I think that shows a lot about my personality,” she said. After her coma she was eventually transferred to Roger C. Peace Hospital where she relearned how to walk.
“I was very, very, very angry at God for a very long time. I was angry at God because I had all of these plans like what I’m going to do with my life and all of these things and then this happened and it really through them off,” she said. “Even though I don’t know how He’s going to use it, He’s going to ultimately use it for my good and His purpose.”
Palmer took four months to relearn how to walk. It wasn’t until a few months later that she really understood what had happened to her. “When I first recognized this happened, I didn’t want anyone to know about it. Looking at me you would not think anything is wrong, but my brain injury aftereffects are with me all the time,” she said.
Palmer went through a time where she experienced suicidal thoughts. She did not act on any of these because she said, “I don’t want to cut short what God has for me because I don’t know what it is, but I believe it is great.”
This summer it will have been nine years since her coma. Even now, she has to rely on God for daily strength. She wants to emphasize how she has seen God through this. Her advice to anyone experiencing a hard time is, “Just keep trusting God. Even though I don’t know how He’s going to use it, He’s going to ultimately use it for my good and His purpose,” she said. Today Jennifer Palmer continues her work as a library assistant at North Greenville University. “By the grace of God, I am continuing to move forward.”
