Ramirez receives Shining Star award

Bridgeway Health Solutions presented Jesse Ramirez of Maricopa with a Shining Star Award at a luncheon ceremony in Casa Grande on Monday.

Bridgeway serves Arizonans who are elderly or have a physical disability.  The Shining Star Award is presented to an individual who has made a special impact on the lives of fellow Bridgeway members and who, through his or her own story, has served as a model of resiliency and courage.

Ramirez was involved in a life-threatening vehicle accident in May 2007. There was a legal fight over who had the decision to make his medical decisions. His wife placed Jesse in hospice care rather than continuing with medical decisions.

Jesse’s family intervened and filed a lawsuit. At the time he was returned to medical care, Jesse weighed only 88 pounds and was unable to speak.   Jesse now lives with the caregiver who helped him, Joe Matrishion. Jesse is blind and lives with the challenges of someone who suffered traumatic brain injury.

Jesse now serves as a role model for others. His story also led a new law that would ensure feeding continues during any legal process challenging a guardian’s decision to remove a feeding tube from someone who is incapacitated.