Hello, my name is Ava Judnick. On July 6 of 2024, my twin sister, Ashlyn Judnick suffered a traumatic brain injury while at work. She was brought into the emergency department where she was diagnosed with an acute subdural hematoma, a brain bleed. From then on, her neurological and physical symptoms intensified and she was admitted to Essentia Health of Duluth, Abbot Hospital of Minneapolis, and Mayo

Clinic Hospital of Rochester.

She suffered daily seizures for three months which came to be known as PNES, psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. She was diagnosed with primary narcolepsy with cataplexy which was a brought out by the brain bleed, and was later diagnosed with FND, functional neurological disorder which is NOT a result of psychological trauma, but physical trauma to her brain. Her brain’s communication pathways are affecting the way it sends and receives information to and from her body. She has suffered muscle spasms, temporary paralysis, motion sickness, and chronic headaches and was also diagnosed with occipital neuralgia. My sister is on several medications to help her through her diagnoses.

Over the past 9 months of Ashlyn’s recovery journey, she is not only still recovering, but still suffering with major symptoms. Before the injury, she had planned to enroll at the university of Minnesota: Duluth, attain a bachelor’s degree, and apply to medical school to become a trauma surgeon. She was a straight A student on the exemplary honor roll and was a member of the National Honor Society. Because of the traumatic brain injury, Ashlyn was forced to enroll in Homebound schooling where she stayed at home her senior year of high school. She is under restrictions not to drive or work. And because of her injury, much of her independence was taken away from her. I do not want to see my sister struggle anymore, and I can only imagine how this is affecting her mental health.

As a result of Ashlyn’s boss refusing to file a workman’s compensation claim and her medical insurance refusing to pay her medical bills because the injury happened at work, my family is unfortunately struggling in massive medical debt and cannot afford to cover her bills. I am creating this GoFund me not only for my sister, but for my family to help cover Ashlyn’s medical expense's. Any donation would be greatly appreciated.