Hi, my name is Heather, and I'm fundraising for my friend Brittney. We've known each other for over ten years, and I consider her one of my closest friends. She's also my hair stylist, which is how we met.

When you meet her, one of the most obvious things about Brittney is how much she loves what she does. She's been doing miracles on people's hair for over 13 years, and she is passionate about it.

The past few years have been tough on everyone in her industry; for most of 2020, she wasn't even allowed to work. The pandemic hit her bank account hard. For the past year and a half, she's been grinding to build her savings back. It hasn't been easy; in that time, she also broke her leg (twice!) plus a couple of bouts of Covid. And this summer, she was side-swiped by a drunk driver (this comes up again later).

Despite all of the trying times, she has stuck with it. Brittney has worked through pain and heartache because it's not just what she does; it's who she is. She's even said she is madly in love with her career; she lives, eats, breathes, and even dreams about it. Her obsession is with the human connection. She truly connects with her clients, giving them a piece of her heart and soul when they're together, helping each client be as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside.

Unfortunately, things started going downhill after that.

Since the car wreck in August, she's been to the doctor several times for various symptoms; some were believed to be caused by the car accident, and others had no explanation.

Her back and neck were so sore and tired all the time she started chiropractic care, massage therapy and acupuncture. In early September, she started experiencing extreme fatigue, pins and needles in her feet and hands, and loss of appetite. Brittney just chalked all of it up to being on her feet all day and using her hands so much, in addition to the car accident. She had other odd symptoms like numb skin, starting at the bottom of her sternum, that slowly, over the weeks, spread down her trunk, pelvic area, and eventually her legs. Brittney had told me how strange and scary it was to lose her sense of touch and to not be able to feel sensations on her skin, but no one knew how to help her. By the middle of October, she noticed that her balance was off and, despite a growing concern, decided to just keep an eye on it.

On Thursday, November 3, she drove herself to Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. The ER gave her an MRI. The results said she had bulging discs in her back, that the discs were pushing on her spine, causing a pinched nerve, and that this was related to that car accident in August. They sent her home with some meds saying they would reduce the swelling and take the pressure off her spine.

Brittney was slowly losing mobility in her legs; then, over the weekend, she had shooting pains in her legs and feet and was so confused and unsure of what to do next. She'd never experienced anything like this before, she was skeptical of going back to the hospital since they'd had so few answers before that, but she needed to figure out what was happening.

Then she lost almost 100% mobility in her legs and thighs; she was completely numb from the top of her sternum to her ankles. Her arms and hands were fine other than the tingling. She said it was the craziest feeling to one day wake up and not be able to walk. Still, she didn’t understand what was going on. She thought she should elevate her legs which should help, that it was probably just a pinched nerve.

On November 7th, her vision went blurry, and she was seeing double; she had a headache, numbness, and nausea. Brittney was terrified; she called 911. The ambulance took her to OHSU. She truly thought she was having a stroke, so did OHSU. The hospital sent the whole stroke team, putting her into a CT scan immediately. Thankfully, it wasn't a stroke.

Since being admitted on the 7th, she has been through a series of tests, blood work, a 3.5-hour MRI, a spinal tap, around the clock care. She hasn't been able to stand or walk alone; even with a walker, she requires someone beside her to ensure she stays upright. She's had many doctors and nurses on the team helping her to relearn how to sit, stand, and walk.

The results of the spinal tap finally gave a diagnosis. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). A neurological disorder that can be difficult to diagnose and of which there is no known cause. It mimics MS. GBS is not inherited or contagious. There is no cure, but there are two treatments that have had a significant impact on many who suffer from this syndrome. So they tried one of the treatments, immunoglobulin therapy. It seemed to help a bit. Immunoglobulin with healthy antibodies from donors is intravenously introduced into the body to block the damaging antibodies contributing to GBS. Additionally, medication was given to relieve the severe pain and prevent blood clots.

On Saturday, November 12, Brittney thought she would be released on Tuesday. When the 15th came, she found out she wasn't going home; it would be another day. Then it was the 16th, and she was excited to go home... well, not home because she lives in a second-floor walk-up and won't be able to climb stairs for some time. She was to be released to the care of her grandparents (her grandma, a retired nurse, and her grandfather, a former rehabilitation coach). A hospital bed was delivered to their home so they could help her. She was finally released and made it to her grandparents' house around 7:00 pm on the 16th.

Over the next several weeks, Brittney's progress will be monitored; she will continue the meds to prevent blood clots and for pain relief, potentially ongoing immunoglobulin therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and in-home care. The thing about GBS is that recovery can take 6-12 months - to be able to stand upright and walk on her own again. During her recovery, Brittney won't be able to work, even after she may never have the same quality of life. We're optimistic and hopeful that she'll be able to get through recovery sooner.

She is trying to stay positive and upbeat, but the thought of never being able to do hair again, to not stand behind the chair at the salon, really upsets her. Not everyone is blessed to find their life's passion at such a young age. That Brittney did but may not be able to perform in her career again is heartbreaking.

GBS is a rare condition, estimated to affect one person in 100,000 each year, and is more prevalent in males but does affect all genders.

So, this fundraiser is to help my friend. To help her take care of her pets and cover medical bills plus rent, food, utilities, insurance and other expenses while she cannot work.

Your donation is greatly appreciated and will go a long way to boost Brittney's morale as she learns a new way of life.