Elena's Diagnosis & Schooling
Donation protected
For the past 8 months we have been trying to diagnose a mystery illness in our 13 year old. She went from having two rock bands and writing her 13th book to suddenly experiencing chronic pain and being unable to eat or hold down food. After finding her passed out in her room we rushed her to the hospital to find the beginning of her diagnosis.
We now know that she has Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis, a very rare stomach disease in which eosinophils (a type of white blood cell), accumulate in the lining of the stomach causing inflammation. This causes abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss. I have been told that even doctors who specialize in the condition only diagnose one person a year.

There currently is no cure and no confirmed treatment - although they have been experimenting with treatments. To add to the mystery, several months in she is not yet responding to any of these, and she is experiencing new aspects that may not be a part of the initial diagnosis. Pain persists and she cannot eat. She has lost a lot of weight and sleeps most of the day. If we go for a walk she is in bed for days after.
This means we've had to take her out of school to do home instruction as we work with her pediatrician, a team of GI specialists, allergists, and pain specialists to try and further diagnose and treat the symptoms.

Friends and family have asked us to create a GoFundMe page as they would like to do something to help and we are ever grateful for that. The funds will go to:
-Hiring tutors so that she doesn't fall behind in school
-Online education support
-The price of non-allergenic nutritional formulas (until she hopefully eats again)
-Any extra bills
-Extra childcare and coverage for time off work as we go to and from the hospital
Elena has already been out of school for two months, and we're working hard to secure all the support she needs to stay on track academically and more importantly to get her healed, comfortable, and eating again.
If you know us, you know that we take on a lot as working artists and parents. You know that we barrel ahead and take on as much as we can possibly balance, because that is what it takes. I'm in the final year of my Masters. Between my husband and I we work up to 20 jobs at a time and we always build space to be completely present for our children. We are proud of that. We rarely ask for help from others, and perhaps that's something we can work on. I can tell you, we are scared for our daughter. We are currently at one of the nations top children's hospitals with the best doctors and today a GI specialist told us that due to the mysteries of the illness our kiddo is their "most challenging patient".

So we humbly open our hearts to you and ask you for help. If you can donate, great. If you want to send her a new book to read, amazing. If you just want to give her a call or send her a note letting her know she matters to you that would make each day easier. Let's get our kid healthy!
Thank you,
The Sancho/Foster Family
We now know that she has Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis, a very rare stomach disease in which eosinophils (a type of white blood cell), accumulate in the lining of the stomach causing inflammation. This causes abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss. I have been told that even doctors who specialize in the condition only diagnose one person a year.
There currently is no cure and no confirmed treatment - although they have been experimenting with treatments. To add to the mystery, several months in she is not yet responding to any of these, and she is experiencing new aspects that may not be a part of the initial diagnosis. Pain persists and she cannot eat. She has lost a lot of weight and sleeps most of the day. If we go for a walk she is in bed for days after.
This means we've had to take her out of school to do home instruction as we work with her pediatrician, a team of GI specialists, allergists, and pain specialists to try and further diagnose and treat the symptoms.
Friends and family have asked us to create a GoFundMe page as they would like to do something to help and we are ever grateful for that. The funds will go to:
-Hiring tutors so that she doesn't fall behind in school
-Online education support
-The price of non-allergenic nutritional formulas (until she hopefully eats again)
-Any extra bills
-Extra childcare and coverage for time off work as we go to and from the hospital
Elena has already been out of school for two months, and we're working hard to secure all the support she needs to stay on track academically and more importantly to get her healed, comfortable, and eating again.
If you know us, you know that we take on a lot as working artists and parents. You know that we barrel ahead and take on as much as we can possibly balance, because that is what it takes. I'm in the final year of my Masters. Between my husband and I we work up to 20 jobs at a time and we always build space to be completely present for our children. We are proud of that. We rarely ask for help from others, and perhaps that's something we can work on. I can tell you, we are scared for our daughter. We are currently at one of the nations top children's hospitals with the best doctors and today a GI specialist told us that due to the mysteries of the illness our kiddo is their "most challenging patient".
So we humbly open our hearts to you and ask you for help. If you can donate, great. If you want to send her a new book to read, amazing. If you just want to give her a call or send her a note letting her know she matters to you that would make each day easier. Let's get our kid healthy!
Thank you,
The Sancho/Foster Family
Organizer
Khanisha Foster
Organizer
South Pasadena, CA
