Come Jingle With Us!
Lindsay’s Legacy is a team formed to honor a remarkable young lady, Lindsay Schafer Pankey, who touched the lives of hundreds of people before she left us to be in Heaven with God last June with her daughter, Tyler. Lindsay lived ten years with Rheumatoid Arthritis and throughout her battle, her strength was amazing. Lindsay accepted the hand that was dealt her and never complained about her health; although you could see the pain she suffered on her face daily.
In the Spring of Lindsay's junior year of high school, she was an active, happy 16-year-old. She was on the volleyball team and a cheerleader, practicing 7 days a week. When she began complaining of joint pain, her mother attributed it to "over-use syndrome", something she had been diagnosed with the previous Spring. When rest and taking it easy didn’t help and her pain increased Lindsay visited her pediatrician who immediately sent her to a pediatric rheumatologist at CHKD. She was diagnosed with severe Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Lindsay and her family became active in the American Juvenile Arthritis Organization, an organization for those with juvenile arthritis. Through AJAO, Lindsay made many friends and learned about dealing with her disease. She looked forward to the annual conferences and devoted herself to educating herself and others about JRA.
In 2004, Lindsay met her husband, Jonathan, and married him in 2005. They worked hard to build the life they wanted, and they were the picture of happiness. Her disease was well controlled at this time, and her rheumatologist suggested that if they wanted children, this would be good time. She became pregnant, and we were all ecstatic. They were expecting their first child in August 2008. However, Lindsay died on June 1st. Tyler Grace Pankey was delivered in an emergency C-section. However, the perfectly formed, beautiful baby did not breathe. We lost them both.
You don't know exactly how much having RA played a part in making Lindsay the person that she became, and if she would have been the same person had she not had the disease. All we know is this: Lindsay grew into a caring, sensitive, strong adult who loved God, her family, her friends, her patients, and people in general. She devoted her life to helping others by becoming a speech pathologist - an occupation where she could give back and also work when her disease was flaring. She loved working with children and the elderly in her profession. Lindsay devoted so much of her life to helping others. She made an impact on so many people in 26 years, more than most do in a lifetime and she accomplished so much in such a short amount of time and she did it with a beautiful smile. She had a way of making everything okay and there not a day goes by that she isn’t missed. Lindsay was a remarkable wife, daughter, sister, niece, and friend. Lindsay may be in Heaven with Tyler and God, but she will never be forgotten. Lindsay I promise you, we will always keep your legacy alive.
~ Rita Schafer, Anna Schafer, and Kathleen Coyne
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