Well, it's been about 3 months since we first launched this fundraiser for Faith. In that timeframe, SO much has changed & I want to share our new information with you all. 

Faith's case was rejected by both Mayo Clinic & Cleveland Clinic. We have been back to Barnes in St. Louis twice (Octber & Novmber) to touch base with her neurlogist & neurosurgon while waiting on new referrals for Northwestern University in Chicago. 

While her Chiari Malformation is unchanged and assumed to be un-involved in the recent issues she's been having, her EDS (Ehler Danlos Syndrome) is causing quite a few issues. She's in constant severe pain in all her joints, has headaches daily that cannot be managed, cyclical vomiting, lethargy, numbness and loss of feeling in her legs and occasionally loss of function in her legs and left arm. Despite her love for her job and her regular customers at Dunkin Donuts in Washington, IL and her dedcation to being an excellent employee for nearly 2 years, she made the tough decision this week to quit her job due to increasing inability to finish her shifts due to these overwhelming and severe daily symptoms becoming worse. 

Her neurosurgeon encouraged us to apply to the undiagnosed diseases clinic, located right there at Barnes in St. Louis. If accepted, we will be responsible for any portion of testing that her insurance will not cover, which is why we've raised the fundrising goal back up to $5,000… 

Additionally, we have officially received new referrals for Northwestern in Chicago for the following specialties: Cardiology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Hematology, Genetics, & Rheumatology. So, this week, I will be on the phone trying to schedule as many appointments in a short time period as I can keep our trips as manageable as possible. 

Friends, we need your help now more than ever since Faith is no longer able to work to help cover costs associated with traveling to all of these appointments. We understand that everyone is struggling right now, but if you can contribute even $5, IT HELPS! If you can SHARE OUR FUNDRAISER, it helps. If you can share Faith's story with someone you think could help us figure out this mystery, it helps! If you could bless us with gas cards, gift cards for food while we're away from home or contribute to the Heartland Bank account for "Faith's Medical" that is set up under my name, IT HELPS. 

Thank you to all who have helped already and those who continue to help our family along this impossibly tough journey to find answers for our daughter. We literally owe Faith's life to you and we thank God everyday for the helpers in our lives. Keep sharing and keep praying, please. We still need your support! Thank you 💟🙏🏼✝️