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Do you hear the sounds of the saxophone? Just hang around Crystal Jones and her father, Reggie, and music fills the room. Known as the Jones-a-phones, a gospel jazz group, this daughter-father duo are always making music. They have opened for national recording artist, Tremaine Hawkins; energized weddings; and landed third place at the Ritz Amateur Night. Crystal also plays keyboard for her church every Sunday. Aside from her musical talent, she has other creative talents. Hoping to pursue a degree in graphic arts, she has become an avid sketch artist and even won the Shriner’s Christmas card contest.
To hear about Crystal’s accomplishments, one would never guess that she has Spina Bifida and has endured twenty –four surgeries from the time she was born until she was sixteen. That is a lot of surgeries, but this courageous young lady just keeps smiling and going through life overcoming one challenge after another. Even though she is dependent on her wheel chair to navigate from place to place in public, she gets exercise by crawling around her home. Often children with spina bifida are recommended for special education, but her family, who describes themselves as strong believers, had faith that Crystal would do well in a regular classroom. And she did great… she is a high school graduate! This January she begins college at Coastal Community College in Camden County. She has also just passed her driving test and hopes to get hand controls so she can drive their family van.
Her latest surgery involved re-insertion of a shunt because of a fluid pressure build up in her skull. This has been beneficial, helping her to focus on schoolwork and achieve weight loss. Returning to Wolfson for this surgery was very much like coming home. Crystal said, “Everybody’s just friendly and so many remember me. They all hope that this will be my last surgery!”
Wolfson was also instrumental in helping her family obtain a special van. The Christ Starfish Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, works with Wolfson’s child life specialists and social workers to help our children and assist families of patients with non-cancer illnesses. They told Carldon Lahey, founder of the foundation, that Crystal needed a wheel chair accessible van. He traveled to the Jones’ home in Woodbine, GA. to meet Crystal and her family. Following his visit, the foundation embarked on a successful campaign to purchase a van with a lift and many extras, including a television. The new van allows Crystal to be more independent and is an excellent example of the family-centered care Wolfson provides in the hospital and often to the family in the home. |
