Imagine what it would be like to be a happy and healthy teenage girl one day, and wake up the very next day unable to walk or feel the entire left side of your body. That was the tragic reality of my coworker and close friend, Joy's precious daughter, Drew, six years ago, and her world has been shaken ever since.

In 2010, at the age of thirteen, Drew was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, which is a chronic, typically progressive disease involving damage to the sheaths of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. There is currently no cure for this disease, and the treatment that is available is nothing less than vigorous.

Since Drew was diagnosed with MS, she has been admitted to Children's Hospital Los Angeles more than 30 times.  She has tried seven different types of medication ranging in forms from pills, to daily injections, to monthly infusions, to the current form of chemotherapy she is given monthly at a local cancer center in efforts to delay the growth of innumerable lesions on her brain. I wish I could give a good report, but none of these treatments have been able to prevent old lesions from growing and new ones from forming. The disease is progressing faster than imaginable.

Drew visits specialists in many different cities, from Los Angeles, to San Francisco, and all the way to Denver. Among the high cost of travel, the astronomical price of medical care, and daily expenses that are hard to meet when Joy is unable to work, this family is financially tied. They have even moved into a less expensive home in order to offset some of their day-to-day cost.

There is a stem cell treatment that is fairly new but could benefit Drew in so many ways. This treatment is very pricey, and Joy and her husband currently cannot afford to start this treatment for their daughter, so it was on my heart to start this fundraiser to help them reach their goal.

Whenever I see Joy at work and ask her how she is, she always smiles and tells me that she is doing well, but I can tell that underneath her smile, she is just crying out to God, hoping and praying that her baby girl will be healed and that she will no longer feel any pain. I believe that God can and will make that happen.

Please join us in prayer for precious Drew. Of course monetary donations are greatly appreciated, but even if you are unable to give, please don't forget how powerful prayer can be. Thank you in advance for your generosity, kindness, and prayers. Let's stand together against MS. Let's stand together for Drew.

Love,
Ashley Briscoe
On behalf of Joy Amaro Kuenz