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Stella needs help

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My niece, Stella, has encountered a rough road. She's an amazing person with a beautiful soul. She is creative and artistic and just wants to be a regular 12 yr old kid. She wants to go to school, be with friends and family and just be happy and healthy.      Last year, after being ill for some time, her and her family(my sister,Bethany, brother-in-law, Zac, nephew, Elliot) started getting some answers from doctors about what was happening with her. They went through a lot to get answers, often driving hours to different states to find someone to help. They finally got some answers and she was diagnosed with P.O.T.S, and Hypothyroidism,initially. E.D.S, CVID and MCAS came later.     P.O.T.S., aka Dysautonomia, stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. It's an autonomic disease. Her body and heart can't take it when her heart beat changes, especially going from sitting up to lying down. It causes her to be lightheaded, dizzy, nauseous, have trouble thinking, blurry vision and weakness. To name a few symptoms. She has started on a treatment where she has to put four needles in her stomach weekly to pump medicine into her to help.     There are minutes, hours and days where getting out of bed isn't an option. Just feeling well enough to stay awake is a good day at times.     EDS, aka Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, is a genetic connective tissue disorder. Complications may include aortic dissection, joint dislocation, scoliosis, chronic pain, or early osteoarthritis. This can be life threatening.      MCAS, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, is an immunological condition in which mast cells which inappropriately and excessively release chemical  mediators, resulting in a range of chronic symptoms, sometimes including anaphylaxis or near-anaphlaxis attacks. Primary symptoms include cardiovascular, dermatological, gastrointestinal, neurological and respiratory problems.      CVID, Common Variable Immunodeficiency disorder. A life time disorder that causes arthritis, thyroid disorders, abdomen pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss.        Hypothyroidism, aka Hashimoto's disease. This causes lethargy, intolerance to cold and heat, extremely dry skin and hair, weight gain/loss, fatigue, hair loss, weakness, muscle cramps and pain, irritability, depression, constipation and memory loss just to name a few symptoms.      Stella is constantly suffering from anaphylactic attacks, her skin hurts with hives and itchiness, her throat tightens, her stomach swells when she eats and she experiences trouble breathing. She is dehydrated regularly and had to receive bags of fluid weekly.       Stella can no longer attend school, hang out with friends, walk a short distance without difficulty, stay awake when she wants, feel like a kid, or even see a hopeful future (though we all try to stay positive).      Her parents and brother are always by her side and those of us that can't be there daily try hard to help and of course we love her as much as possible. Her parents are struggling financially (they aren't mad about it) to make sure that Stella gets the best care they can find. My sister works a few jobs to attempt to help financially, but that takes her away from Stella. She drives her to different states to get her the care she needs and has had to take off work multiple times to care for Stella.      We all want Stella to get better, but there's no guarantee that that will happen. In the mean time I'm trying to figure out a way to help them help take some stress off her family. If there's anyway you could help we would all appreciate it.

Organizer and beneficiary

Carrie Winemiller
Organizer
Elizabethtown, KY
Bethany Tiesman
Beneficiary

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