#Dr. Amira Bass

On March 6, 2018, Amira was diagnosed with a rare form of transverse myelitis, "longitudinally extensive-type," a large spinal cord lesion spanning T6-T10 and a left cerebellar demyelinating lesion. This resulted in complete loss of motor and sensory function from her belly button down. The cause is thought to be an aggressive autoimmune disease, but still remains a mystery. She underwent five high dose intravenous steroid treatments, five rounds of plasmapheresis and rituximab infusions, with very modest improvements. She is currently in intensive acute inpatient rehab at Good Shepard in Philadelphia. Amira is also recently post-partum, with two beautiful boys, a 3 year old son, Jaseem, and a 4 month old son, Rakim.




Amira's ability to move her legs is severely limited and she has no sensation below the knees. Despite this, her spirit remains strong. She has the determination of an olympic athlete. She spends several hours a day in a special gym in her rehab facility re-learning how to do her activities of daily living and working to keep her unaffected muscles strong. Her physical and occupational therapists even created a 17 pound baby mannequin, matching Rakim’s current weight, for her to practice daily parenting activities.




Amira’s doctors are not sure if she will ever be able to walk again on her own. Her spinal cord lesion is very extensive and her doctors expect a great deal of scarring to occur, leaving permanent deficits. This presents an unusual problem, as she is unable to even feel her feet on the ground.




Obviously none of this could have been anticipated. Amira's home will need modifications to accommodate her new wheelchair bound life. She will need to add a stair lift, modify bathtubs, sinks, flooring and other parts of her home. She will also need to hire a full-time nanny to help her with the boys, as she is unable to care for them independently. There are many other expenses expected, including bills for medical care, home care, therapy and equipment.

If you are receiving this link, it is because you are a friend of Amira's. As you all know, she is an Emergency Medicine Physician who has dedicated her life to helping others. She is also a very private person who does not ask for help for herself.





This GoFundMe campaign was started by her friends to try and alleviate some of the financial burden Amira and John are now experiencing with the loss of Amira's income and all of her new and ongoing medical expenses.

We can't take away the spinal lesions, or give her the use of her legs back, but we need to do something to help such an amazing, inspirational person.