Author: Nina Silberstein
Jacquelyn (Jacque) Eidson wanted to serve on the VF Board of Directors because she knows firsthand the impact that vasculitis has on patients, and those who love them. Jacque’s father-in-law was diagnosed with vasculitis nearly 15 years ago and she believes his medical journey was much different from patients who live in larger metropolitan areas.
Jacque’s father-in-law lives in a rural community of about 12,000 people in mid-Missouri. He had been experiencing symptoms for a couple of years, and although the local hospital offered excellent care, he had to travel nearly two hours to larger hospitals on his path to diagnosis. In addition to local care, he is now under the care of the University of Kansas Medical Center. Not long after his vasculitis diagnosis, he was also diagnosed with inclusion-body myositis, a debilitating, inflammatory muscle disease. He is also battling lymphoma for the second time. “Needless to say,” Jacque said, “it has been a difficult 13 years.”
After her father-in-law was diagnosed with vasculitis in 2006, Jacque and her family left Kansas City and moved to their rural hometown to be closer to him, and stayed there until 2018. Jacque served on the board of the local hospital. She has volunteered on local, state and national levels.
Jacque has over 20 years’ experience in business development, compliance and higher education, and holds a master’s in business administration and a bachelor’s in accounting. She has been married for 21 years, has four children, and resides in Kansas City. She is currently finishing her final year of a PhD program in organizational psychology at Grand Canyon University. In addition, she is an adjunct professor of business at Missouri Valley College. Jacque hopes to leverage her business education and background to assist with the financial aspects of the VF.
