Alana's Urgent Medical Flight

Dear Friends and Family,

I never thought I would be writing this or asking for help, as our family has always been very resourceful in caring for each other. I guess no one can anticipate when a catastrophic issue will arise.

Most of you know that my cousin, Alana, is in New Zealand, where she and Brian got stuck during COVID.

You may not know that she has been extremely ill with her Mast Cell (syndrome) issues which, although well-controlled in the US, became exacerbated in New Zealand.

She has been living in a “bubble” and can only use two rooms in their rental apartment. It must be dusted twice a day to eliminate any chance of an anaphylaxis reaction. She has been to the hospital several times in the past few months and has been treated with several doses of epinephrine to save her life. Her fear of COVID and travel (she is at high risk of having an anaphylaxis reaction to the vaccine) have kept her locked in New Zealand, where the medical care has been subpar, to say the least.

Now, to add fuel to the fire, Alana and Brian have been blessed with a very unexpected and miraculous pregnancy.

Her illness which was already NOT under control is now exacerbated ten times with constant and non-stop GI issues (hyperemesis), including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Alana has lost 30 lbs in the last six weeks. The few foods she could eat before her pregnancy are now down to a few sips of Cranberry juice, a few saltines and a handful of cooked rice, all of which go right through her. She has a reaction to everything else.

Her visits to the ER are now almost daily. She has to sit outside in the car until she is seen. She can only get a bag or two of IVs before she has to sign herself out as she starts feeling her throat closing up - there are so many allergens/smells/etc. in the hospitals, and she is allergic to ALL of them.

The hospital staff, including the doctors, do not understand her underlying disease and are now totally lost with the pregnancy exacerbation.

They say they will treat her for anaphylaxis with epinephrine, which is contraindicated in pregnancy. The staff’s verbatim response: "Well, it’s not 100% sure that you will miscarry if you get epinephrine,” which is absurd. One dose is never enough to control her anaphylaxis, and this miraculous pregnancy is not worth the risk.

So we are left with HOW to get her out of New Zealand and back to the US, where she can get the medical care she needs. It’s a 16hour flight, with so many allergens and chances of having an anaphylaxis reaction. The current option is to get her on a business class flight where she will have better access to a bathroom, which she needs at least every few minutes. No direct flight has first class, which would be the first choice. She also needs a medical person (doctor) onboard who can administer treatment and mitigate any possible reactions. Luckily, they have someone who can do that for them, but it will be extremely expensive.

The bottom line is that this dangerous and scary voyage home will be very costly, so we are asking for help.

If you can help in any way, no donation is too small, and it would be so appreciated.

Please keep her in your prayers for a positive outcome to this saga, and please share.

Thank you for your support, love and prayers!

Emily