Hope for Kaidence

"She's been a fighter from the start."


Those were the words that stood out when Samantha described her 4 year old daughter, Kaidence.  So are her parents, Samantha and Alex Pastella.  They fought for her existence after a doctor incorrectly assumed that their daughter had died in the womb.  They held her tiny hand as Kaidence struggled to breathe because meconium had caused a hole in her fragile, newborn lungs.  And at 11 months old, Kaidence and her parents began the fight of their lives; Kaidence began having seizures.

From 11 months old to the present, Kaidence has endured over 350 seizures.  Samantha and Alex have only been able to call 911 and watch helplessly as Kaidence siezes.  Sometimes they are a mercifully short minute, while others have lasted nearly 1 hour.  For over 3 years this insidious disease, epilepsy, has evaded doctors.  MRIs are normal, so she is not a candidate for surgery.  EEGs cannot pinpoint the origin of epileptic activity, so an implant is not an option.  Medication has been a stop gap which continually fails to control Kaidence's seizures.  Genetic testing has revealed an extra piece of gene, but it is a complete mystery to doctors.  Not only do they not know how it could be causing epilepsy, they don't even know what it is!


In the meantime, Kaidence and her family suffers.  Kaidence has endured multiple spinal taps, blown out veins, and 32 dental procedures, as the medicines eat her teeth away.  Epilepsy has also caused her to have speech and other developmental delays.
Alex lost his job in the Marine Corps.  He wasn't deployable because of Kaidence's illness, so he was discharged. 
Samantha spends every day worried when Kaidence's next seizure will be.  Will it happen at the top of a slide, so that she falls and hits her head again?  Will it happen during bath time again, putting her in danger of drowning?  Will it happen at the preschool where Sam and Alex had to fight for Kaidence to be allowed to attend?  What little energy they have left is for their younger daughter, Skyler, who adores her big sister.

Here's where you come in.  Please help the Pastella family obtain the medical care Kaidence needs.  Medical bills are piling up from emergency room visits and doctors who don't know how to help Kaidence.  Your donation will help them seek knowledgeable medical help without worrying how they can even begin to pay for it.  Your donation will also help the Pastellas adopt a seizure dog for Kaidence, which costs $15,000 for their portion of the adoption fee alone.  Please help Kaidence fight this monster, epilepsy.  She is a fighter, and with your help, she could actually win!