Back in the Saddle

Tools

By Lindsey Scheetz

Story Published: Aug 19, 2010 at 11:36 PM MDT

Story Updated: Aug 20, 2010 at 2:58 PM MDT

BILLINGS - Championship barrel racer Jessi Mead has rodeoed her entire life, until a life-threatening illness took her out of the arena, but after a long and continuous road to recovery Mead's determination and positive attitude put her back in the saddle for the first time in years.

For 30 years Mead has been a professional barrel racer. Traveling all over the nation, she has won more than 15 championship titles, but in 2008 while competing in a Texas rodeo, she never expected a flea bite would put her career and her life at stake. "I came home and I just started getting sicker and sicker; I felt like I had the flu you know," Mead described the strange illness. "Fever, chills, nausea and it just kept getting worse and by January of 2009 I was just really sick and the doctors couldn't figure it out."

For the next few years Mead struggled with completing day to day tasks, making it impossible for her to compete as a barrel racer. It took nearly two years for doctors to discover she had contracted Murine Typhus, a bacterial infection carried by small insects. To make matters worse Mead also contracted the West Nile virus after being bit by a mosquito destroying her nervous system. At times she said she thought she was going to die, "I would pass out from the pain, and when you'd come too you'd almost rather just be out, it was like I don't even want to wake up."

But with the love and support of her family, Mead was determined to fight. Beating the odds, her love for barrel racing put her back in the saddle, a career she can't imagine living without. "This is my passion. I just don't know I don't think I could sit behind a desk and be happy and survive and you know my horses they are a part of me you know," Mead said.

For the first time in nearly 2 years she was able to compete in her first barrel racing competition. The MontanaFair PRCA rodeo here in Billings is just one of many stops Mead will make on her journey back to success.

Mead competed Wednesday night against 11 other barrel racers. Although she has only been training for a few months, she said she is hopeful she will qualify for the circuit finals.

Add a comment

Name:

Comment: 1000 Characters Left

KULR-8 News, Sports, Weather and its affiliated companies are not responsible for the content of comments posted or for anything arising out of use of the above comments or other interaction among the users. We reserve the right to screen, refuse to post, remove or edit user-generated content at any time and for any or no reason in our absolute and sole discretion without prior notice, although we have no duty to do so or to monitor any Public Forum.

Your Weather Authority

Icon
Current Temp 84.0 °F
Partly Cloudy
Wind : Variable at
6.9 mph
Humidity : 15 %
Pressure : 29.75 in
More Weather

Party America Sky Cam

More Weather

On Demand

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.