Over the past five years Dwayne Nelson, the beloved son of Amelia and Warren Nelson, battled an illness that doctors were not able to diagnose. During his junior year in high school, Dwayne began to drastically lose weight and experience extreme fatigue. Dwayne’s condition worsened and he was forced to leave college as treatment after treatment failed to stop the progression of his illness. He had a pacemaker installed last year and he spent the greater part of this year in and out of the hospital, fighting constant pain and a condition that left him immobile, unable to move his hands and feet without help, and eventually, unable to eat.  Through this all, Dwayne was treated by a committed team of doctors and nurses who sought to enroll him in a program at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland to try to identify the cause of his illness. Dwayne’s doctors and his parents fought for the opportunity to enroll Dwayne in a study of rare illnesses, knowing that identifying the disease that ravaged his body was their only hope. When the NIH agreed to admit Dwayne into a study, Dwayne’s condition took a turn for the worse that same day. Dwayne fought in body and spirit against whatever it was that was attacking his body. However, on Friday, July 13th, Dwayne passed away surrounded by family and friends. Dwayne was just 21.



Amelia and Warren are devastated by the loss of their only child. It is an unimaginable loss. As they grapple with the loss of Dwayne, Amelia and Warren face a mountain of hospital bills accumulated over the past five years. While we cannot take away the pain of losing Dwayne, we would like to help Amelia and Warren. If you know Warren and Amelia, you know they would not ask for help but they would be the first to help anyone in need. Please help in supporting them with the medical and funeral expenses.



Please share this link on your Facebook page and other social media, particularly if you know Warren, Amelia, and their extended family and friends--who also rallied and supported Dwayne and his parents throughout his illness.

Amelia and Warren are devastated by the unimaginable loss of their only child.