Jessica Chappell experienced her 40th birthday in hospital, on her own, with one crushing thought: is this the year I die? It was July and COVID-19 cases were on the rise, forcing the Geelong mum into a medical bubble as she was treated for liver failure and encephalitis - an infection on the brain. Ms Chappell had been in and out of hospital since February after suffering severe and debilitating complications from autoimmune hepatitis, a condition brought on by the birth of her daughter 10 years ago. Her 73-year-old mum, Joy Ipsen, dropped everything to become her carer and home schoolteacher for Meadow, her 10-year-old daughter.