It may appear as though Amy, her husband Jon, and their 7 children live disconnected from society and even reality. They live in a home built by Jon’s own hands in the woods of Halfway, Ky., don’t rely on electricity and instead heat their home with a wooden stove, and homeschool their children. But the lives of the Jessup family are anything but isolated or out of touch. Identifying themselves as a tailored mix of Christian, Messianic, and Anarchist, the Jessup family proudly abide by their own conscientious design and unconventional path.
Last fall, Amy found a lump in her neck that turned out to be a cancerous tumor, and has decided to attempt to cure it naturally; a treatment consisting of alternative medicine practices including an IV treatment, tinctures, a frequency machine, and applying hemp oil to her neck and maintaining a raw diet. Amy is so strong-willed and convicted in her beliefs that she is willing to break the law, purchasing medical marijuana from out of state to make the oil, or ‘medicine,’ as she calls it, in her own back yard. This is just one example of the independent and uncompromising spirit of the Jessups.
Amy is not a standalone character, she is defined by her family as a whole, a single unit, and everything she does is for them. This story is about the bond of family, about making personal judgements and challenging modern medical science. It’s also about taking major risks and disregarding societal conformity. They struggle like all families do, from financial constraints to siblings not getting along.
The Chicago River is dyed green for Saint Patrick’s Day on Saturday, March 16, 2013.
