On August 12, 2016, Jakob Relaford , the only child of Jeremiah and Anica Relaford, was admitted into Renown Regional Medical Center ICU for vomiting, lethargy and left facial weakness.

After 13 days in ICU, doctors from around the country, including Stanford have come up with two possible diagnosis. One, Bickerstaff Encephalitis and two, pharyngeal Cervical Bronchial variant of Guillian-Barre syndrome. These sister diagnosis are extremely rare, and near unheard of in a pediatric case. With little to no references for the medical area to pull from, time, energy, tests and resources are running thin.

Although Jakob is slowly recovering from the symptoms, Doctors say it could be weeks to months of rehabilitation for Jakob to eat and speak properly. As the days and weeks progress, so do the various therapies and out of pocket expenses.

One of the tragic realities of the American medical system is that illness and injury can leave patients and their families financially devastated. Anica and Jeremiah are accepting donations to offset the cost of Jakob's treatments and future consultations for this rare condition. If you are in a position to make a donation, please do so. Thank you!