Help Amber Jankowski Fight Against GPA
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For the past year, Amber has been struggling with sinus issues that she has regularly been seeing her doctor for. Then in the middle of March, she was taken to the hospital because she was having trouble breathing and was in a lot of pain. In her stay there, they determined she had pneumonia and that was the cause of her strained and painful breathing. She was put on steroids and within a few days was feeling much better and ready to continue resting and recovering at home.
March 31st, she was taken back to the hospital and has been fighting her illness as hard as she can since. At first, they thought her pneumonia had gotten worse, but after many tests, they determined she has an extremely-rare autoimmune disease called Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA), formerly Churg-Strauss Syndrome and was transferred to a larger hospital's ICU.
What we've learned is that EGPA is essentially inflammation of small arteries and veins that classically affect the lungs, nasal passages, and kidneys. She had to go into surgery to have a large amount of blood removed from her lungs, and due to her lungs bleeding, she has been on a ventilator
since April 2nd, which is allowing her lungs to rest and heal.
The treatment Amber is receiving will require that she be intubated for potentially another two hard weeks. Her care plan involves treatments similar to chemotherapy as well as enduring platelet replacement treatments every other day.
This is the last thing any of us expected to happen to Amber as she nears the end of her senior year in high school. She has plans to start college in the fall and follow her passion in the culinary arts.
Amber continues to fight so, so hard to get better, but the medical bills will start to pile up. Please consider helping to make this fight just a touch lighter on her and her family. Everything will be received with the utmost gratitude and love.
March 31st, she was taken back to the hospital and has been fighting her illness as hard as she can since. At first, they thought her pneumonia had gotten worse, but after many tests, they determined she has an extremely-rare autoimmune disease called Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA), formerly Churg-Strauss Syndrome and was transferred to a larger hospital's ICU.
What we've learned is that EGPA is essentially inflammation of small arteries and veins that classically affect the lungs, nasal passages, and kidneys. She had to go into surgery to have a large amount of blood removed from her lungs, and due to her lungs bleeding, she has been on a ventilator
since April 2nd, which is allowing her lungs to rest and heal.
The treatment Amber is receiving will require that she be intubated for potentially another two hard weeks. Her care plan involves treatments similar to chemotherapy as well as enduring platelet replacement treatments every other day.
This is the last thing any of us expected to happen to Amber as she nears the end of her senior year in high school. She has plans to start college in the fall and follow her passion in the culinary arts.
Amber continues to fight so, so hard to get better, but the medical bills will start to pile up. Please consider helping to make this fight just a touch lighter on her and her family. Everything will be received with the utmost gratitude and love.
Organizer
Alexa Reis
Organizer
Toledo, OH