Jessica Waldron Obituary, Death – At the beginning of the program, viewers met Christina’s best friend of 25 years, Cassie Schienle. Her sister-in-law Jessica, who was afflicted with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), “a degenerative nervous system disease that destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control,” was the subject of her recounting.
After breaking her leg, Jessica was unable to get around her Tennessee house in her wheelchair. In March 2020, at the engagement celebration for Cassie and her future husband James, Christina first met Jessica. The realtor and the doctor will reconnect during the March 2021 wedding of their children.
Shortly after the wedding, Jessica suffered ‘Drop Foot,’ and doctors were at a loss as to why, as Christina revealed in a post to Instagram in February 2023. Jessica’s condition worsened into full-blown ALS throughout the course of the following year. By the middle of the year 2022, she was in a wheelchair because she had lost the use of her legs and had begun to lose sensation in her hands.
Christina and her crew began renovating the home of the clinical psychologist, Damon Waldron, and his two children, Reese and Gray, after witnessing Jessica’s illness swiftly spread and take over her body. While filming was still underway for this episode, Jessica passed away on November 3, 2022, at the age of 39. Christina and Cassie wept openly as they argued over the necessity of finishing the renovation.
Cassie shared with her buddy, “The house is going to be a foundation for them to truly come together and that’s really No. 1.” The interior decorator, her husband Josh Hall, and their crew kept working to finish the house in time for Damon and his children to move in. The big disclosure at the end was quite touching. Christina proudly showed the finished product to her family and stated, “I can really feel her presence here.”
The alum of Flip or Fop was moved to tears by Jessica’s account and will always cherish her time on set. Christina told People in February 2023, “Jessica had such a spark about her, such a strong personality and I liked chatting with her.” Everyone who had the good fortune to cross her path has suffered a great loss. She was witty, accomplished, and a terrific parent and partner.
Christina, who shares children Taylor and Brayden with ex-husband Tarek El Moussa and son Hudson with ex-husband Ant Anstead, was happy to commemorate her late friend’s memory by completing the home restoration that had been her goal for her family. She said, “Mom was a warrior and despite what she was dealing with, she always put on a brave face,” so that her children would always know that she was a strong and courageous woman.