Felicity Wallace Hurler Syndrome Journey

Hello Everyone,

My name is William Wallace and my family and I decided it was appropriate to start this GoFundMe for my brother and his wife, Oliver and Haley Wallace, respectively. On June 23, 2023, Haley gave birth to their first child, a beautiful baby girl, and my niece, Felicity Wallace. Shortly after, testing confirmed that Felicity had a rare genetic disorder known as Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS-1) also known as Hurler Syndrome. This is a rare disease in which Felicity's body does not produce enough of an enzyme that is needed to break down certain sugar molecules This specific form of the condition is the most severe, affecting approximately 1 in 100,000 newborns. The prognosis of children diagnosed with Hurler syndrome is poor. They suffer from developmental and musculoskeletal impairments. It is common for these children to only live ~10 years.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disorder as of now, and this will cause progressive damage and loss of function to Felicity's vital organ systems including her lungs and heart.

Felicity is going to be starting weekly enzyme replacement therapy in the coming months to help protect most of her vital organs. In November, she will undergo stem cell transplant therapy. This specific therapy will help protect her brain and cognitive function from degenerating too quickly.

Oliver and Haley live in Virginia. They will be taking Felicity to a facility that specializes in MPS-1 treatment in Minnesota and will have to stay there for up to 4 months for Felicity's treatments. Although some organizations exist to provide financial help for medical treatments, both Oliver and Haley will have to stop working for at least 1/3 of the year while they care for Felicity in Minnesota.

During those 4 months without an income, they will still be required to pay for rent in their apartment, pay for a place to stay in Minnesota, pay for gas to drive back and forth from the hospital in Minnesota, buy groceries, etc.

This fund is being set up to ease the already heavy burden that they will be taking on as new parents caring for a child who has a rare condition with no cure. Our hope as a family is that money donated to this fund will allow them to love and care for Felicity without the addition of daily financial stressors.

Thank you all for dedicating time to reading this. If it is not possible to help through financial means, our family will gladly accept prayers for baby Felicity and her health.

Thank you, All.