Early 2023, while living with her youngest daughter, Casey, Marla began to show signs of cognitive concern (minor car accidents, choosing words that didn't make sense when speaking, difficulty managing her tasks at work). It was not until late Summer 2023 as these symptoms progressed, that we were able to see doctors and begin the long journey to discovering CJD.
We began with speech therapy as we were led to believe she had some kind of traumatic brain injury from the past which was causing word aphasia, which was affecting both her writing and her speech. After several sessions and no real progress, we worked with her PCP and scheduled a MRI of her brain, which was scheduled just 2 weeks before we had an appointment to meet with a neurologist.
Within a couple of days of that MRI, our PCP contacted us to alert the images appeared abnormal with no clear answers, so we were directed to check into the ER. There, they performed the lumbar puncture and the ER visit quickly turned into a 4-day admission to the hospital with several tests scheduled.
Doctors were concerened and couldn't provide us with any definitive answers. Marla was under observation with EEG leads for 36 hours and the spinal fluid sent to the Prion Center in Ohio for testing.
Initial results suggested a negative result on prion disease, while her MRI was suggestive of CJD and the proteins tested were significantly elevated. This resulted in a 2nd opinion, which our MRI results were reviewed by a doctor in Milan, Italy who ultimately sent a letter "highly suggestive of CJD" as the result, just after the 2023 Thanksgiving holiday.
Now we knew what we were facing and we had to move quickly. We faced several declines followed by weeks of plateaus. By March 2024, Marla was moved into the home where her eldest daughter, Ashley, resided to be under her care with the assistance of Hospice. By June 2024, Marla's care needs increased to the levels where more professional, 24/7 care, was necessary so she was transferred to a wonderful memory care facility.
Marla was lovingly cared for by the team at Avantara Park Ridge, as well as her continued care by her daughters Ashley and Casey, before succumbing to the horrible disease as we all know, CJD, in November 2024.
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Obituary
Marla Jean Magoon, affectionately known as Raven, passed away peacefully on November 19, 2024, in Park Ridge, Illinois. Born on June 12, 1964, in Belvidere, Illinois, she was the cherished daughter of the late Harry and Ellen (Bruhn) Powell.
A 1982 graduate of Belvidere High School, Marla was a devoted homemaker, raising two beloved daughters with her late husband, Edward Magoon, in Johnsburg, Illinois, from 1989 to 2010. Her life was enriched by her passion for arts and crafts, sewing, quilting, and gardening. Marla and Edward shared a love for motorcycles and embraced the biker lifestyle.
In her later years, Marla resided with her youngest daughter in Wonder Lake, Illinois, and worked at Meijer in McHenry, Illinois, where she was a respected employee and formed lasting friendships. Following a diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in 2023, she moved to the Chicago Western Suburbs to be closer to her eldest daughter, who lovingly managed her care.
Marla is survived by her daughters, Ashley Powell and Casey (Christopher) Spangler; her brother, Martin (Laura) Powell; half-sister, Kimberly Hill; step-sisters, Michelle Hughes-Deshane and Melanie (Richard) Earlywine; and grandchildren, Summer and Sean Spangler. She also leaves behind numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and a great-niece and nephew. She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Margo Powell, nephew Jarrett Powell, and her beloved husband, Edward.
In lieu of a memorial service, the family requests donations to the CJD Foundation in Marla's memory, supporting research on this devastating disease.