Hello, I'm Jalen. I'm fundraising for my best friend, and the strongest person I know, Alana Everhart. If you know her, you know how deeply compassionate, loyal, and selfless she is. She has always been full of life, ambition, and the type of person that even on her worst days will still make you laugh just to brighten yours. In our 10+ year friendship, I’ve watched her continuously do anything she could to help others, including strangers or animals on the street, but right now she desperately needs our help. She is not only going through the pain and illness of the genetic conditions that have flared up and put her down, but she is suffering from an extremely rare spinal disorder that can only be fixed through surgery across the country, and a rare neurological/ENT syndrome as well. She is struggling to afford everyday necessities, let alone all the extra costs these illnesses have now presented her and her family with.

She has multiple genetic conditions that cause her agony every day. They are filled with symptoms that are extremely painful, debilitating and life-altering. She has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which causes dislocations and subluxations to every joint, severe gastrointestinal problems, skin problems, and awful neurological symptoms like migraines, psychiatric issues, awful gynecological pain and symptoms, nerve pain and problems. She has Autonomic Dysfunction, and cardiovascular problems. She also suffers from MCAS, which causes full-body inflammation and cell disruption that results in a slew of full-body issues, like the intense skin irritation and other inflammatory responses she is currently suffering from. These are genetic, meaning she's always had them, but they can get much worse at times. But after going through some awful and traumatic personal issues, these things presented worse than ever before and left her debilitated physically on top of the emotional impairment. It’s been absolutely heartbreaking to watch her suffer years of just trying to survive another day of pain, knowing she’s the last person to deserve it. She only wishes to live a normal life, doing the things she loves as simple as cooking and baking, small capabilities we take for granted.

As overwhelming as that all already is, it unfortunately gets worse. She has ended up with two other disorders that are so unbelievably rare that it not only took so long to identify them, but the first disorder, only ONE doctor in the country treats it, and the second disorder, we are still searching, and they come with some of the most painful symptoms imaginable. She has Occult Tethered Cord Syndrome. This means that her spinal cord, which is supposed to be hanging freely, is stuck on the base of her spine, which means her spinal cord is constantly being yanked. She’s told me the pain is indescribable and that she doesn't know how the body can be in that much pain without dying. It also interferes with circulation to the spinal cord, causing dysfunction in the nerves. This dysfunction causes pain, zapping, and numbness in the legs, and bladder and bowel dysfunction. It has also made her lose her ability to WALK at all. With everything she has already lost because of her illnesses, she has lost her ability to walk. The yanking of her spinal cord is so incredibly painful, she can't handle sitting in the upright position for more than 10 minutes and laying flat puts extra pull on her spine too, so she has limited positions she can sit or lay in without being in extreme pain. She has another condition called intracranial hypertension, which means she has way too much blood going up into her brain, causing a horrible pressure in her head and pain that makes it feel like it's about to explode. She also can't lay flat because of that, as it causes it to get much worse, so sleeping and sitting have become a balancing act. She has been to a ton of doctors, even spent over a month in the UCSF hospital, and they decided because of the rarity and delicate nature of Alana's case, she can only get the surgery she needs to treat this condition, Occult Tethered Cord, from a surgeon in Rhode Island who has the experience and know-how to give her back a semblance of a life.

She is also suffering from a condition called Eagle Syndrome, which causes her ears to feel pressure like she is up in a plane or 10 feet underwater, pounding in her head and her ears, headaches, something referred to as icepick pain because the pain feels like getting stabbed by an icepick in her head and ears. It causes a pulsing sensation and can push on the aortic artery so hard, causing dizziness and can make her pass out. This can be fixed with surgery, but it is again very specialized, and she hasn't found someone to relieve this yet, and may have to pay out of pocket to see a specialist that can help her.

As you can imagine, this has been the hardest time in Alana's life. She has always suffered with health issues and pain, but has always been so ambitious and hard-working, I’ve watched her navigate the pain for years to follow her dreams of acting and writing. However, these new diagnoses and new heights of all of these conditions have stolen literally everything from her, stolen her ability to walk or exercise, stolen her ability to work and provide for herself, stolen her ability to care for herself, stolen the ability to go after her life-long dreams and goals, stolen her ability to live a normal life.

She really needs help getting devices and products to be in as much comfort as she can before the surgery, so she can keep her pain down to a minimum. Then she needs help with all the logistics to get her to Rhode Island and the doctor that will cure the condition that is holding her back the most.

She obviously hasn't been able to work, so she has no money coming in. She has tried to get disability, but they have been putting her through the wringer since these conditions are so rare, and she has not been approved. Her mother and step-father have been taking care of her, but with all the extra expenses, they are already stretched so thin they cannot afford the things she desperately needs to get through to the other side of this. She needs an electric wheelchair that is able to recline so she can travel to doctor's appointments and hospitals while remaining in a zero-gravity position. She needs equipment to allow her to maintain her basic needs, hygiene (bathing), and even sleep. She needs products and medication that isn't covered to help the inflammation in her body and the terrible irritation to her skin. One of the biggest things she needs is the funds for is a special plane with a seat that will be in the position that she can handle for the multiple round trip flights from San Francisco to Rhode Island, once for the introduction visit to the surgeon and then for the actual surgery, and the lodgings in Rhode Island to recover from a major spine surgery.

If you know Alana, you know she was always the life of every party with the most inviting energy, uplifting aura and contagious smile and laugh. She’s always been the most outgoing person in the room, who could become best friends with anyone, no matter how different from her. There’s truly no one else like her. Please help my best friend get herself and her life back.

I need help for one of the people I love most in this world, and who desperately needs it to get the equipment, medication, medical attention, and the surgery that will give her the best chance of getting her life back, and be out of the unbearable pain that she has faced with such grace and physical and mental strength. Please donate whatever you can and share this GoFundMe so it can reach more people. I am so grateful for whatever you can do to help, and I know Alana can't thank you enough for your help and support.