Send Halle to NYU

I am writing on behalf of one of the Girl Scouts in my Girl Scout Troop. Halle is an amazing 13-year-old young lady whom I have known for eight years. She is a beautiful, intelligent, loving 8th grader, who on the outside looks like any other teenager. But when you take the time to get to know Halle and her family you realize there is so much more to her story. Halle was born with a rare chromosome deletion, that have caused more medical challenges, surgeries, hospital stays, doctor appointments and the like than most people encounter in a lifetime. In fact, Halle's parents were told at one point, she would never walk, never talk, never eat and never attend traditional schools.
Halle not only defied those odds but has far exceeded them. She excels at school, enjoys hanging out with her friends and spending time with her family. She is very close to both of my daughters, Lizzie was her classmate and sister Girl Scout and Kelley is a close family friend and was even one of Halle's counselors at Camp Boggy Creek. She is more than a friend, she is like our family. Unfortunately, she has faced various medical diagnoses over her lifetime and these medical issues have wreaked havoc on her young body. Most recently, Halle was diagnosed with dysautonomia, a condition that causes Halle difficulty in regulating her autonomic nervous system (regulating temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, etc.) Dysautonomia in and of itself is rare, but even more rare in children. Halle and her family have sought treatment locally in their home state of Florida, but her local doctors are now recommending she see the best doctors available to her. There is only one main clinic in the United States that treats pediatric dysautonomia and that is at New York University Medical Center in Manhattan. Testing and treatment are combined into two separate trips to New York City for Halle and her mom.
Halle's family already has medical bills that exceed most families, a trip like this is just another costly expense. I know Halle's parents would never ask for assistance on their own, so I am doing it for them!
I hope that you will be able to help because I can think of no one on this earth that deserves this type of care more than this sweet girl who stole my heart the day I met her.