Chalyse and Satoshi Koshikawa's Journey with ALS

FUNDRAISER AT THE BRICK & BARLEY (GRAND FORKS) ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2019,
DON'T MISS IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/4827770-Friends-rally-to-raise-money-for-Grand-Forks-family-that-lost-mother-to-ALS


Remembering Chalyse Koshikawa     https://youtu.be/LR3JfgsJuXo

Losing a loved one changes your entire life.
We will never forget our precious and much-loved Chalyse, but we know that Satoshi still needs our help!

Satoshi, Chalyse's husband, and their two sons (Orion-4, and Aizen-1), have experienced the painful loss of a beloved wife and mother.  It has been a heart-breaking journey of tremendous sadness and grief for Chalyse's entire family.  Chalyse was one in a million!  She was the kind of girl who would drop everything to help someone out.  She was a funny and generous girl with  huge heart.  Chalyse was loved by so many!

Along with picking up the pieces and trying to put their lives back together, the enormous debt incurred during Chalyse's illness (ALS), has been overwhelming for Satoshi.  Satoshi cared for Chalyse with so much love and tenderness.  He tried to help her be more comfortable and assist her wherever he could.  However, the amount of assistance and expense needed to care for someone with ALS is financially crushing.  
There are so many outstanding expenses to be paid.  Funds raised will go towards these numerous expenses:  equipment, therapies, medicine, funeral expenses, and basic everyday living expenses.  The hope is to also raise funds to help support and raise her two little boys that she cherished more than anything in this world.

We are asking you, family and friends, for your continued love, prayers, and support for Satoshi and the boys, in making this journey a little easier.

Through all of this we are completely overwhelmed with the amount of love and support that we have felt.  All your thoughts and prayers are truly being felt and making a difference.  I know how much it would mean to Chalyse to know that her family will be taken care of.  

Please feel free to share this link in anyway to maximize our efforts.

Every donation in any amount is gratefully received.  Please donate through this GoFundMe page, or
directly to Satoshi Koshikawa
                          1506 Robertson Court
                          Grand Forks, North Dakota  58201

There will also be a fundraising event at the Brick and Barley downtown Grand Forks, North Dakota on December 18, 2019.

Brick and Barley Holiday fundraiser for Koshikawa Family
https://www.facebook.com/events/672054113319638/


             Satoshi's poem to Chalyse

I love you Chalyse, no words can describe how I feel this day.
I'll cherish all our memories and keep them in my heart to stay
And one day, when we meet again face to face I can say
I love you Chalyse thanks for guiding me and our kids in your beautiful way.

But until that time comes, I'll continue to shine your love
To this world, to the people around us with a great big hug
Your smile, your laughter, your spirit are in our hearts
Even death could never pull us apart.

Your suffering is over, let us all celebrate
Your beautiful life now guiding us from heaven's gate
Your smile, your beauty we are so blessed
I love you Chalyse, thank you for everything and making my life the best.
      
                                                 ~Satoshi





CHALYSE MARIE WYNNE KOSHIKAWA  LIVED LIFE WITH PASSION AND JOY!!

Our beloved  Chalyse passed away Wednesday, November 6, 2019. 
The loss of our dear sweet Chalyse is devastating  and incomprehensible.    Chalyse was such a beautiful person, inside and out!      She touched everyone she met with her bright and sparkling personality.    She will forever be in our hearts, as a  sweet   loving soul, kind hearted, fun loving, hard working and loyal.  She was an awesome  wife  and mother.             Chalyse absolutely loved and adored her husband,    Satoshi,   and  two boys, Orion and Aizen. 
We all will treasure the time we had with Chalyse.   She is gone too soon,   but  will   never ever be forgotten.   
Chalyse we love you!     You will remain in our hearts forever!

We will keep the  GoFundMe page open to continue raising funds for the
Koshikawa family's upcoming expenses.

Thank you tremendously for all your contributions, love, prayers, and support,
it has meant so much to all of Chalyse's family!


Funeral service:
4:00 p.m. Monday, November 11, 2019 in the Norman Funeral Home, 
Grand Forks, North Dakota

Brick and Barley Holiday fundraiser for Koshikawa Family
https://www.facebook.com/events/672054113319638/
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Chalyse is a fighter, and she is going after this disease with everything she possibly can.  

ALS is not an easy disease to have, but Chalyse  chooses to face it with courage , dignity, and a positive outlook.
Chalyse is now relying on a caregiver, wheelchair,  and a feeding tube.   

If you want to help in any way, please contact a family member or leave a message on Facebook, or donate on this GoFundMe page.

Hope, faith, love, and a strong will to live offer no promise of immortality, only proof of our uniqueness as human beings, and the chance to experience full growth, even under the grimmest of circumstances.  The clock provides only a technical measure of how long we live.  Far more real than the ticking of time is the way we open up the minutes and invest them with meaning.


                  HELP!     CHALYSE NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT!     MORE FUNDS ARE NEEDED!Please help Chalyse any way you can!  The best and most direct help you can give is through this GoFundMe effort. 

Share  this with everyone you know!

We will be forever grateful to all the people who are contributing, praying, and  helping  Chalyse on her journey!




Chalyse has been working hard;  researching, trying many therapies, (Reflexology, Pulsed Magnetic Therapy, Red light therapy, Equiscope, Rife machine, Substrate reduction therapy), treatments (Acupuncture, Chiropractor, Lymph treatments), supplements (diet changes, tinctures, vitamins & minerals, juicing), and medications (CBD), to combat the ALS. 

Chalyse has decided to enter the stem cell clinical trial called Nurown by Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics starting May 20th for her first appointment!  This appointment will determine whether she is eligible for the trial.   Some of the people participating in the trial will receive a placebo.  PLEASE PRAY Chalyse receives the real stem cells.   Most (2/3) of all clinical trials do not pass phase 1 of 3 of the FDA process and take years to get approved. Nurown is on phase 3 of this stem cell therapy to treat ALS patients and this could be one of the most important keys to helping Chalyse!  This is another step in this journey which will consist of 14 visits to the Mayo Clinic within about 12 months time!

ALS may be changing her body and how it functions, but it hasn’t changed her positively beautiful personality.  If you can help Chalyse in any capacity, please contact the family.  Chalyse needs assistance walking, getting out of a chair/bed, getting dressed, showering, childcare, and many other day-to-day tasks.

-------------PLEASE VIEW UPDATES BY CLICKING ON THE UPDATES  [ 6]   TAB ABOVE.....................





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Please click this link below, and check out an interview and story with Chalyse & Satoshi!

https://www.grandforksherald.com/lifestyle/health/4564576-grand-forks-mother-fight-her-life-after-als-diagnosis

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I write this with an extremely heavy heart, but also with love and determination to stand with Chalyse.  After months of countless medical appointments, frustration and confusion about why her body wasn’t working properly, Chalyse received a heart wrenching diagnosis.   At Mayo Clinic, on January 17, 2019, Chalyse and Satoshi were delivered news no one wants to hear, Chalyse was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

 ALS is a progressive neuromuscular disease that deteriorates the communication between the brain and muscular system.  This motor neuron disease slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and eventually breathing, all while leaving the mind perfectly intact.  Researchers and doctors still know little about a cure for this disease. The average life span from diagnosis is two to five years, but there have been exceptions.  Every individual’s experience with ALS is different.

 Chalyse and Satoshi understand the need to plan for the worst, yet they are hoping and praying for the best.  Right now, living one day at a time, is the only way to find comfort in this diagnosis.

It is Chalyse’s goal to live a purposeful, engaged, and happy life.  This disease doesn't have the best prognosis, but Chalyse is going to, “do her best to create her own story”.

 Our focus now, as family and friends, is how best to adjust our lives to ensure Chalyse lives happily and safely, in light of the progressive state of this disease. Satoshi and Chalyse will need help to modify their home; widen doorways to allow for wheelchair access, add ramps to exterior doors, and get adaptive and assistive equipment to aid in getting Chalyse in and out of chairs and bed.  These are necessities. Also needed will be in home personal support care workers, child care, technological devices to assist with ALSs debilitating affects, and perhaps a specialized van.   None of these items are covered by insurance.  ALS is also known as the “bankruptcy disease.” The financial challenges of caring for a loved one with ALS are astronomical, even with the best of insurances.



 
Again, we ask for your support for Chalyse through this difficult journey.  Please help us reach our goal by sharing this fundraising campaign on your Facebook and Instagram, with your friends, family, and colleagues.

Please stand with us and assist Chalyse in any capacity you can.  

 Please give through this GoFundMe campaign because every dollar counts towards helping Chalyse.

 Thank you everyone for your continued love, support, and prayers. 

 LS & Family

 

Please take the time to read CHALYSE'S STORY BELOW, donate if you can, and share with as many people as possible!

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A young mother, after having her second child, is physically debilitated, and doctors still have no answers.

We have set up this fundraiser in an effort to ease the financial burden associated with Chalyse (Wynne) Koshikawa’s unexpected physical condition.  Also, to help Chalyse’s family with any expenses that may arise in the months to come. We would like to ask for everyone’s help as Chalyse heads off to Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN, in the hope of finding answers regarding her suspected Neuromuscular disease.


In early 2018, Chalyse and Satoshi Koshikawa were overjoyed with news of their second baby on the way.  However, early in Chalyse’s pregnancy she experienced extreme fatigue, and began to limp. It was hard for her to stand from a sitting position, let alone run after her 2-year-old son, Orion.  She had to concentrate when walking and was having constant leg cramps.  Both Chalyse and her OB doctor, thought these symptoms were due to pregnancy and they would resolve after the birth. Healthy baby Aizen was born in early October 2018.   Chalyse started to notice that her symptoms hadn’t improved but had become worse.   Her leg was diminishing, and one arm was getting weaker.   She couldn’t pour a cup of coffee and struggled to hold her new baby.    At Chalyse’s six-week postpartum appointment the doctor told her it wasn’t the pregnancy, it was something else… She was referred to a neurologist and since has had many appointments.   After numerous tests the doctors in North Dakota have not been able to diagnosis her condition.   She has been referred to the Mayo Clinic, where she will undergo further testing.

Chalyse’s current condition.

Chalyse has physically deteriorated to the point where she cannot climb stairs using her legs.  She must essentially pull herself up with her one functional arm, so she no longer uses stairs.  She also must push herself up from a seated position, including off the toilet. She has fallen multiple times and now depends on a walker.  Chalyse also has been having trouble with swallowing, constant twitching, and tremors.  The worst part for Chalyse is that she needs assistance lifting, feeding, and moving baby Aizen, and finds it incredibly difficult to play with and care for her now 3-year-old son, Orion.

How will the money donated be used?

One of the biggest hurdles for Chalyse and Satoshi is their income.  Chalyse was working a full-time job, but after her maternity leave ended, she had to resign, due to her health issues.  Satoshi is currently working three jobs; days, nights, and weekends, in an attempt, to cover their expenses, both living expenses and accumulating medical bills.  As you can imagine there will be more medical bills, travel & accommodation expenses, child-care, potential housing modifications, day-to-day living, etc. The money raised here will go to the costs that Chalyse and Satoshi simply cannot otherwise cover themselves.  Frankly, they need help, as they try to find answers, as Chalyse moves through this long journey back to health.

If Chalyse’s sweet, gentle, fun-loving nature has ever touched you, please consider taking this time to show that love back in her time of need.

We are asking today for your help in supporting Chalyse, and her family, through this tremendously difficult time. From the bottom of our hearts we humbly ask that you share this link with friends and family.

The best and most direct help you can give is through this GoFundMe effort. Literally every dollar counts, even if it’s $5.00 or $10.00.

And finally, in whatever version of belief you practice, please hold Chalyse and her family in your hearts and prayers.


We will be posting regular updates.