Get Maddi to Treatment – Support for Rare Disease Travel & Care

Hi, my name is Maddi Sutter. I’m a 36-year-old mom to my amazing 13-year-old daughter, Olive, and I work as a painter. I’ve spent the last three years battling a rare and aggressive autoimmune disease called MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis. It attacks the muscles, skin, and lungs, and increases my risk of developing cancer by up to four times the normal risk. It’s most dangerous in the first five years, and so far, it’s been incredibly hard to manage, run a business, and raise a teenager.

I’m now starting a new treatment plan in Kansas City, where I’ll receive monoclonal antibody infusions (the same type they use to treat cancer) every four months for the next two years, along with frequent visits to a team of primary care and specialty doctors. The hospital is nearly four hours away (250 miles one way), and each visit means missing work and covering the costs of gas, hotel stays, and meals. I’m asking for help with those travel expenses — but I want to be clear: even a prayer or kind thought means the world to me.

This support will help cover the basic costs of getting to and from treatment: gas, hotel stays, and meals during multi-day trips to Kansas City. I’ll be traveling one to two times a month for the next two years — and every visit matters in giving this treatment the best chance to work. The goal is remission. The treatments take a toll on my body and my immunity. I want to be strong enough to keep painting, stay present and active in Olive’s life, and move forward without fear constantly in the background. Every bit of help makes a difference in getting us through this long road.

Thank you so much for reading, sharing, praying, and donating. This has been such a hard journey, but having support around me makes it feel a little lighter. I’m hopeful that with this treatment and some help along the way, I can get back to living fully — being the mom Olive deserves, getting back to my first love of painting in my community, and volunteering to make our little corner of the world a better place.