Dear friends,


I would like to ask for your help on behalf of Melva, a very special little girl who has been sick her entire life with a rare immune system defect (IL12RB1 deficiency). Because of this disease, Melva has suffered from a recurrent infection caused by the BCG vaccine that is resistant to many antibiotics. 


In 2016, with the support of many of you, Melva was able to travel to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to receive a special drug (IFN-gamma) that is not available in Peru. For a while, this drug put her infection into remission, and her doctors thought that she would be able to avoid a bone marrow transplant--which is a curative but risky procedure. Unfortunately, last year, her infection came back.


Now, Melva's only hope is a bone marrow transplant. Her father, Carlos, is a match and will donate. Melva and Carlos need to stay in the U.S. for approximately a year (if all goes well).


Melva is from a small rural community outside Cusco, Peru. Her parents are subsistence farmers, and they do not have any resources other than a small parcel of land that they farm. To help support the costs of their stay (food, transportation, incidentals), we are trying to raise $30,000 USD. This amount will also support the rest of the family (mother and two brothers) while Carlos is away. The NIH has and will continue to cover the costs of Melva's treatment.


You can meet Melva and Carlos and hear directly from them in the video below (in Spanish, subtitled in English):



Thank you so much for your consideration and continued support of Melva!