St. Jo Fire Department rallies around community member battling bacterial meningitis

SAINT JO, TX (KFDX/KJTL) — Kicking off summer is just one of the reasons why all the happy faces in Saint Jo. The other reason: to support Hannah Reyling, a native of Saint Jo who is fighting bacterial meningitis.

As Hannah fights her illness in the hospital, the town of Saint Jo rallies behind her. Her mother, Paulette, said Hannah was blown away by the support.

“We received phone calls; we did everything. She is just amazed by it all. She’s just, you know, very happy to have support,” Paulette said. “And, you know, I was on the phone with her a while ago and I was just showing her around and everything, and she just can't believe the support she's getting.”

Bacterial meningitis is a disease caused by bacterial infection of the fluids surrounding the brain and spinal cord. After contracting the illness, Hannah became septic, meaning the infection affected her entire body.

As a result, she had to amputate both of her legs. To help him with the rehabilitation process and find money for his prosthetics, Colton Thomas and the Saint Jo Fire Department were happy to lend a hand.

“I think everyone in the fire department was 100 percent ready to put on a fundraiser for Hannah and her family,” Thomas said. “Once my sister and wife approached the members about hosting a fundraiser for her, everyone was 100% on board with everything we needed to make it happen. And it was really cool to see it all come together.

Despite her battle with illness and preparation for the rehabilitation process, Hannah still remains the same person she was before.

Her friends, all wearing shirts reading “#HannahStrong,” say today's fundraiser was the essence of Hannah.

“That describes Hannah. It literally is,” said Audrey Kubis, one of Hannah’s best friends.

“She would have so much fun.” I'm like, 'Yeah, I see her doing all that,'” said Katherine Klement, another friend of Hannah's. “She would be the one to lead the way. She would be the first to go down the slide, the first to drop a water balloon on you, with the camera. I tried to do the same, but you know.

If you would like to donate to Hannah's recovery, you can bring your donations to the Jaint Jo Fire Department, located at 220 E Howell St. in Saint Jo.

As Hannah continues her road to recovery, her next steps are to rehabilitate and learn to walk with prosthetics. But she should succeed because she's not just strong. She is #HannahStrong.