Emily's recovery: We can't let LCHAD win!

Hello, my name is Nadia Walker. I am assisting in the establishment of a fundraiser for our beloved Emily. If most of you don't know, Emily suffers from LCHAD, which is a very rare disease. Due to her condition worsening, she was recently hospitalized and now requires not only a walker to walk, but recently she’s been needing to use a manual wheelchair more often.

What is LCHAD? It is a rare long-chain fatty oxidation disorder. She is misisng the enzymes that break down fat into usable energy. Complications from LCHAD include but are not limited to hypoglycemia, rhabdomyolysis, vision loss, hypotonia, liver function problems, peripheral neuropathy, atrophy, seizures and cardiomyopayhy.

Emily is a daughter, sister, friend, and a beautiful soul. That we all love very dearly. I hope that we can all come together and assist Emily and her family. As they have been dealing with LCHAD since Emily was born. Emily’s mother Amy is facing a lot of difficulties seeing Emily going through everything at this moment. I am trying to help facilitate this GoFundMe campaign for them.

I have included Amy's words about Emily's recent hospitalization:

I know I haven't posted an update about Emily in a week or so... we are just trying to wrap our heads around what's happening. This time things are different.Emily's symptoms are different, her CK level is taking longer to come down and her troponin levels were higher than they've ever been. Luckily, her serial echos and EKGs have all been unchanged. Emily is no longer in the hospital; she's back home with Kelly learning to navigate these new changes. If you're not in the know yet, Emily is struggling with ambulating even for short distances. The progression of peripheral neuropathy was quick! She currently needs a walker or wheelchair to get around, even in the house. LCHAD has taken me to my knees on more than one occasion; this may have been the hardest! Emily is still Emily and handling this with humor and that giant smile we all love. I know she has hard days and this isn't fun by any means. She isn't able to work and hasn't been to school in a couple of weeks, but we are hopeful that she can get back to living as independently as possible. Kelly and Bryce have been right there to help every step of the way... literally! I am thankful for the friends who still get her out of the house and all of our friends/ co-workers who have offered to help. We will need it! LCHAD is unpredictable and unfair! These are supposed to be her best years... She is handling this better than I am, no doubt about it.

Funds will go towards helping to adapt the house, medical equipment, motorized scooter, recliner to help her stand up when she can't, out of pocket medical expenses, lost wages and living expenses. She anticipates receiving SSI disability, but the process is lengthy.

Be kind, give people grace... you never know the battles they are facing.

Amy K