Let's Rally for Ali!
Donation protected
Our Story
Back in 2009, our daughter Alison was a sophomore at Ithaca College when she was shockingly diagnosed with leukemia. After receiving rounds of chemotherapy, achieving remission, and going back to school, she relapsed the following November. In March of 2011, she received her first bone marrow transplant (which included total body irradiation) only to relapse again that October. She then went on to get a second bone marrow transplant in January 2012.
In mid 2013, it became clear the repercussions from her life-saving treatments started to take a toll with the onset of Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD) which includes extreme tightening of skin, major muscle weakness, and some organ damage. However, her lungs unfortunately took the brunt of the trauma and in the summer of 2015 she finally became oxygen dependent.
Her health has been declining ever since, and March 2016 marked the scariest moment of our lives as our daughter suffered respiratory failure and was put on a ventilator in a medically induced coma. Ever since, she has been hospitalized and slowly working towards recovery.
Although she will be on a ventilator for the rest of her life, her spirit and attitude during this whole terrible journey has been remarkably positive. No matter what comes her way, she accepts it with a smile and the attitude of the famous Tom Petty song "I Won't Back Down."
Where We Go From Here
As you can imagine, the task of bringing Ali home is quite daunting. Because she is vented and has limited mobility. she requires nursing, respiratory therapy, specific medical equipment, home healthcare, and physical and occupational therapies well beyond what our insurance can provide. I will be leaving my social work position to be home with Ali, which reduces us to a one income family. Additionally, as parents we have our own physical limitations as I have MS and my husband suffered a heart attack in 2015.
We are asking for support to bring Alison home safely with the resources she needs each day.
With heartfelt thanks in advance,
Amy and Philip Schnipper
Back in 2009, our daughter Alison was a sophomore at Ithaca College when she was shockingly diagnosed with leukemia. After receiving rounds of chemotherapy, achieving remission, and going back to school, she relapsed the following November. In March of 2011, she received her first bone marrow transplant (which included total body irradiation) only to relapse again that October. She then went on to get a second bone marrow transplant in January 2012.
In mid 2013, it became clear the repercussions from her life-saving treatments started to take a toll with the onset of Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD) which includes extreme tightening of skin, major muscle weakness, and some organ damage. However, her lungs unfortunately took the brunt of the trauma and in the summer of 2015 she finally became oxygen dependent.
Her health has been declining ever since, and March 2016 marked the scariest moment of our lives as our daughter suffered respiratory failure and was put on a ventilator in a medically induced coma. Ever since, she has been hospitalized and slowly working towards recovery.
Although she will be on a ventilator for the rest of her life, her spirit and attitude during this whole terrible journey has been remarkably positive. No matter what comes her way, she accepts it with a smile and the attitude of the famous Tom Petty song "I Won't Back Down."
Where We Go From Here
As you can imagine, the task of bringing Ali home is quite daunting. Because she is vented and has limited mobility. she requires nursing, respiratory therapy, specific medical equipment, home healthcare, and physical and occupational therapies well beyond what our insurance can provide. I will be leaving my social work position to be home with Ali, which reduces us to a one income family. Additionally, as parents we have our own physical limitations as I have MS and my husband suffered a heart attack in 2015.
We are asking for support to bring Alison home safely with the resources she needs each day.
With heartfelt thanks in advance,
Amy and Philip Schnipper
Organizer and beneficiary
Alyssa Bickoff
Organizer
Hull, MA
Amy Albert Schnipper
Beneficiary
