Dayna's Medical Treatment Fund

Dayna is a young girl who has suffered from chronic health issues all her life. From the day she was born Dayna was prone to issues with fevers and infections. As a toddler, she often found herself in tears, unable to walk and having to be carried everywhere due to the pain. As a kid she would wake up in the morning with swollen joints and stiffness. By the age of 7 she was diagnosed with Juvenile Arthritis and Idiopathic Arthritis.

More recently, Dayna was diagnosed with Arnold Chiari Malformation, a condition in which brain tissue extends into the spinal canal. Those with Chiari Malformation suffer from neck pain, balance problems, muscle weakness, numbness or other abnormal feelings in the arms or legs, dizziness, vision problems, ringing or buzzing in the ears, hearing loss, vomiting, insomnia, or headaches. Hand coordination and fine motor skills are often affected. Symptoms may change for some with ACM, depending on the buildup of Cerbral Spinal Fluid and resulting pressure on the tissues and nerves. 

Dayna also suffers from Pseudotumor Cerebri (Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension). This is an excessive buildup of Spinal Fluid in the brain. Chiari Malformation can block the normal flow of this fluid, resulting in pressure within the head that can cause mental defects and/or an enlarged or misshapen skull. Severe hydrocephalus, if left untreated, can be fatal. Although it is a condition itself, Psuedotumor Cerebri is often associated in those with Chiari Malformation.

Dayna also has Scoliosis. She had surgery last year but is still being monitored for the possibility of additional curvature. Spinal curvature is common among those that suffer from Chiari Malformation. 

About three years ago Dayna was diagnosed with Focal Seizures. About 60% of people with epilepsy have focal (partial) seizures. These seizures can often be subtle or unusual, and may go unnoticed or be mistaken for anything from intoxication to daydreaming. Seizure activity starts in one area of the brain and may spread to other regions of the brain. This has caused her to struggle with everyday life. She struggles with school, due to having these seizures constantly. We were missing our bubbly, feisty, Dayna. These seizures affected her frontal lobe. The frontal lobe plays a large role in voluntary movement and primary motor functions. The function of the frontal lobe controls her conscience, the override and suppression of socially unacceptable responses, and the determination of similarities and differences between things or events.
The frontal lobe also plays an important part in integrating longer non-task based memories stored across the brain. These are often memories associated with emotions derived from input from the brain's limbic system. The frontal lobe modifies those emotions to generally fit socially acceptable norms.


She was confused and dazed, often lost in a fog. She would often have headaches everyday and they would usually be accompanied by the seizures. She still continues to struggle with the Focal Seizures, however her seizures now are not only affecting the frontal lobe, but are now attacking her whole brain. She is suffering from generalized and focal seizures. 

In the first week of April of 2017, Dayna ended up in the ER when she began to have headaches, nausea, body sensitivity, high fevers, and other symptoms. We rushed her to the ER and she was brought in on a stretcher. Eventually, she was hooked up to an oxygen line and not long after she had one of the worst seizures we've ever witnessed. She began convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Her eyes were watery with tears while they uncontrollably rolled backwards. Her arms and knees jerked upwards towards her chest and her hands were clamped. Her chest began to jerk up and down and she lost control over her bodily movements. She would try to speak in between the more aggressive waves but found it impossible. Soon after her blood pressure began to gradually drop until it reached a low of 74/25. The medicine wasn't working (she was still having a seizure), her fever was still high, and her heart rate was peaking. Doctors began a central line in her groin area to push medicine in the event they would need to dose her with a shot of dopamine as a last attempt to save her. The doctor got to the point of preparing Brenda, Dayna's mom, for the worse. He explained that she was "crashing" and they were going to do all that they could. The risk of her blood pressure dropping further was there but to stop the seizure, the ER doctors maxed Dayna out at 2.5 ml of Ativan and finally her condition slowly stabilized. She spent that night in the PICU and left doctors baffled as to what caused this attack. After results were sent for culture, we found that she had been battling the Influenza virus. Unlike those in good health with normal immune systems, someone like Dayna, with her numerous health conditions, is much more susceptible to getting sick and gets hit much harder than most. 

We followed up with a visit to her Neurologist and eventually a 24 hr EEG. This EEG was recently completed the week of the 7th of May 2017. This EEG showed that Dayna was no longer dealing with just Focal Seizures, but with a severe form of Epilepsy now causing Generalize Seizures. Generalized seizures are the result of abnormal activity in both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously. Because of this, consciousness is lost at the onset of the seizure.

She is now prone to permanent brain damage when she has her seizures and is considered to be a in a high risk situation. Her seizures will now be long lasting seizures, where before they lasted minutes, these may last for hours. This leaves much more room for damage to the brain. Dayna's doctors are now wanting to start Dayna on the CBD Oil for her treatment as it may be the only thing that would sufficiently help her. The CBD Oil she would use contains little to no THC, the psychoactive property. Brenda herself was skeptical of this alternative medicine. But after being educated and enlighten on it's amazing medical benefits, it's a no brainer. On our foundation Instagram page and Facebook page we have shared a video on Charlotte's Web CBD Oil and how it changed lives for many children suffering from chronic health issues including those with seizures.  Last year we dedicated our foundation towards helping and bettering the lives of children and teens living with chronic health issues just like Dayna. This year we need help for our own. There have been many who have reached out asking if we had a GoFund started to help raise the funds for Dayna's CBD Oil treatment. The type of CBD used for medical prescription requires a strength that is not usually found in just any CBD Oil, nonetheless found in the supplements in our local vitamin store. In order to use the CBD Oil, Dayna would need an oil that has a high content of the actual CBD to be usable for her medical plan and prescription. We’re currently working to find the least expensive and most efficient source for Dayna’s CBD Oil. Dayna would have to be on about a bottle a month, if not more, and each bottle cost nearly upwards of $270. This means depending on the ml Dayna would need to be treated, the price can rise. We have dedicated this foundation towards helping others and that is still our dream. We want to touch the lives of many others like us and one day be established enough to assist others with their own medical needs. But right now we need the help of others to help our own daughter who inspired this foundation. Thank you for taking the time to read Dayna’s story and supporting our foundation as many of you always have.
Love and Light. 

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