About Jackie

Jackie Marie Rankin made her appearance onto this Earth on November the 7th of 1965, born in Maple Ridge, a suburb of Vancouver British Columbia. As a young girl she lived in many different places with her mother and two sisters throughout southern BC before finally settling in Campbell River on Vancouver Island at the age of ten. These formative years of a gypsy like lifestyle had rooted themselves deeply into Jackie's sense of the world and herself. Passion and experience are after all very much affected and influenced by the conditions of our environment and the circumstances of our life.

Jackie was no exception to this rule as she soon found herself exploring the wild back country of Vancouver Island. Her appreciation and affinity for nature carried her up countless summits across first the Vancouver Island mountain range and then beyond, but her restless gypsy spirit was not calmed through mountain climbing alone. In her mid twenties, she expanded her horizons quite literally through travel. The next ten years were spent much like her early childhood in that no one place remained home for very long, but this time the realm of new places and experiences encompassed the globe.

Throughout this time, despite or perhaps because of the transitory nature of her life, feeling settled and at peace in her surroundings took on a special meaning. She would happily nest anywhere provided the basic amenities of life were satisfied. The world itself became home, and once again this ever evolving woman was defining herself through her experiences.

From these worldly experiences grew an awareness of her responsibility to the planet in general and to herself in particular. A daily routine involving meditation, yoga and a health conscious diet was instinctive and came easy for Jackie. She began to study, motivated by a genuine interest in the human body and natural health and healing, incorporating philosophies from around the world into a lifestyle uniquely her own. Mental discipline and physical challenge became a familiar and welcome friend in her pursuit of a joyful, respectful and meaningful existence.

Finally, at the age of thirty three, Jackie returned to Campbell River and while on a mountain hike, she met Michael her current partner. They have been together for eight years now. With this new relationship came a new focus. Taking advantage of a relatively settled life back on Vancouver Island, she pursued and attained an associates degree in 'Womens Studies' achieving top marks in each and every course. Not one to ever be content simply coasting through life, she then took up flying and purchased a small airplane.

Her passion for learning and determination to succeed spilled over into every aspect of this woman's life and she applied herself to the world of real estate, renovating and selling several homes before getting her own real estate license. Balance has always been key to Jackie's philosophy on life and this included a healthy balance between work and travel. There were still many new countries to explore and experiences to be had.

If there is a common thread to her eclectic pursuits and interests it would have to be her devotion and commitment to a healthy and respectful lifestyle with intention and discipline being her tools of choice.

It was in September of 2004, while enjoying a game of indoor soccer with some friends, that she first noticed something was wrong with her balance. Her awkwardness that day was particularly puzzling and unnerving because she had always been such a graceful girl who loved to dance. She prided herself on the control she had over her own body in scrambling up and down mountains. Later this year an inquiry with her GP landed her a referral to a neurologist and began a year long series of doctor's visits, tests and scans.The problem got progressively worse until in January of 2006 at the Vancouver Nerve Disorder Center she was diagnosed with ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a frightful disease that attacks the motor neuron system. She was told at that time that the life expectancy of ALS sufferers was between two to five years.

Rather than accepting this grim prognosis, Jackie made a decision that day to do her own research and vowed to take responsibility for her own destiny in the pursuit of a cure. As a testament to her will and determination and her never ending interest to explore new things, she has since her diagnosis committed herself to researching and understanding disease processes within the body in general, and more specifically what may have gone wrong in her own body and how to correct it. Disregarding entirely the negative effect of the knowledge that no one has ever survived this disease has been an immense mental struggle, but if it can be done... Jackie has the means to do it. Her life has prepared her well for this ultimate test of strength and will. Visit the chronology of experimental treatments page to find out more about Jackie's path to wellness.