Fundraising Poker Run planned for Pikeville native hospitalized with brain injury

When Jane Jones says of her daughter, Casey, “She’s the type of person, and always has been, that would give her friend her last penny even if she didn’t have anything left for herself,” you might chalk it up to just a mother’s pride talking.

But then Casey’s friend, Jennifer Pruden, says, “She’s going to be the first one to step in and help if you need it.”

And another friend, Jessica Tyndall, insists, “Casey is the most kind-hearted person ever. She will literally do anything in the world for anybody.”

And it becomes clear that Casey Jones really is one of those special people who shows up and does for others.

Well, now the tables are turned, and others are showing up and doing for Casey. On April 27, the 41-year-old was driving her car at about 45 miles per hour when, according to information provided to Jane Jones, a ruptured brain aneurysm caused her to veer off the road, down a ditch, and across a couple of driveways before slamming into a light pole. She has been hospitalized at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville ever since and is facing a long, challenging recovery.

Almost immediately, those in Casey’s circle jumped into action. They created a Facebook page (Casey’s Fight is Our Fight) to keep everyone updated and connected, and, because Casey will be absent from her job at Spirit AeroSystems in Kinston for an undetermined period of time, they began raising money to help cover her expenses: They created a GoFundMe page and began selling decals and t-shirts, and they have organized an upcoming Charity Ride/Poker Run.

The Poker Run is scheduled for Sunday, June 9, beginning with registration at Wanda’s restaurant in Goldsboro at 1 p.m. The second stop on the run will be Deuces Saloon in Goldsboro, followed by Frank’s Place in La Grange, and Crossroads Bar & Grill in Seven Springs. The final stop, meal, and party will be at Cooper’s Tavern in Goldsboro. At each stop, participants will collect a card to complete their poker hand, with the best hand being awarded $100 and the worst hand earning $50. The cost of participation is $20 per rider and $10 per passenger (meal included). Case Farms is donating chicken for the event, and Here Piggie Piggie out of Goldsboro is doing the catering. More information can be found on the flyer posted on the “Casey’s Fight is Our Fight” Facebook page.

When someone experiences a health-related emergency, it’s normal for that person’s loved ones to wonder if they missed clues or hints that possibly foretold of the impending crisis.

But Casey was very healthy, her mom says, before adding, “Looking back, we realized she would mention headaches fairly often, so she kept BCs and Ibuprofen in her car.”

Friend Jessica Tyndall agrees. “Casey had a lot of headaches and it was becoming more frequent.” But, she continues, “Casey thought it was just stress.”

Jessica and Casey spent the day together prior to Casey’s accident, and they were at Jessica’s house when Casey complained of a sudden, terrible pain in her head. Jessica says she offered to call 911, but after taking medication and applying cold wash cloths to her head and neck, Casey insisted the pain had eased off. She decided to head to Greenville to see another friend, promising Jessica she would call to let her know how she was feeling. Casey never called, and Jessica’s repeated calls and texts to her went unanswered. At 5 the following morning, Jessica received a call from Casey’s phone — but it wasn’t Casey; it was Jane Jones, calling to let her know about the accident.

“It devastated me,” Jessica recalls. “I am heartbroken.” She and Casey grew up together and have been best friends since childhood. They talked or video chatted every day. Since the accident, she says, “It’s been very silent.”

Around 2011 or 2012, Jessica introduced her cousin Jennifer Pruden to Casey, and soon Jennifer and Casey were fast friends, as well. It was Jennifer who, after getting the OK from Casey’s mom, launched the Facebook page and began selling decals and t-shirts. Together, she and Jessica have organized the Poker Run.

Having grown up in Pikeville, Casey has many family members and friends in the area. She is the daughter of David and Jane Jones and a graduate of Charles B. Aycock High School. She has a younger brother, Michael, and she is a mother of two; she has a 20-year-old son, Dayton Mooring, and a 9-year-old daughter, Carstin Little.

A timeline for Casey’s recovery is uncertain. It varies, doctors have told Jane, from one person to another. From what Jane understands, “There’s going to be ups and downs and a long recovery.”

At this point, Jane says that Casey is responding very little, but doctors have said the specific area affected by the rupture causes patients to have little desire to speak or respond; they offered assurances that this should improve with time.

Jane recalls that shortly after Casey was hospitalized, doctors informed her that only about one-third of all people who experience this type of brain injury make it to the hospital in time to be saved. So, the way she sees it, her daughter has already beaten the odds. And while Casey has a long way to go, she’s not in this alone. Known as someone who is always there for her friends, her friends are now eager to be there for her.

For more information about the Poker Run or other ways to support Casey, call Jessica Tyndall at 919-222-7147 or text Jennifer Pruden at 919-223-8321.