Donation protected
My name is Alana Keygan and I am fundraising for my daughter Lilah Cordwell aged 10. Lilah has Polyarticular Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.
One of her favourite things to do is to ride her bike but lately it is just getting to hard on her legs, it is a really big struggle.
Please help Lilah, any donation even just a dollar all helps your kindness is much appreciated.
While this is well managed, she struggles on a daily basis. She loves being outdoors playing with her friends, please help me raise funds to purchase Lilah and E-Bike to help her increase her quality of life and ability to play with her friends and be a little kid.
Lilah is a kind, caring beautiful little soul that loves to care for and mum everybody, please help us give something back to help her and keep her big fighting spirit alive.
This is Lilah's story so far.
In 2011 aged just 18 months old, Lilah got terribly unwell, fevers, vomiting etc. The next day she was unable to walk, this continued on for months back and forward to the Dr, who tried to tell us it was just a sprain and that children don't stay off their legs so it won't heal. We fought for months before I decided to bite the bullet, this was affecting her development, she could not even walk properly, her left ankle was so swollen we could not even get shoes on he foot. I demanded physiotherapy to help with her development and that's when it got picked up.
Within weeks were were transferred to the Royal Children's hospital for steroid injections under Anesthesia, very scary times for first time parents.
This all ended up with the heartbreaking diagnosis of Juvenile Arthritis, an autoimmune disease that attacks he joints in the body causing chronic rheumatoid arthritis.
After months of specialist appointments and treatment, we started on methotrexate to suppress the immune system. To anyone that knows this drug, it is awful and she was so unwell for so long on this treatment, not growing or reaching development milestones, nausea all the time, loss of appetite, no energy, big dark circles under her eyes, it was heartbreaking as a mother to force those medications in to my babies system. This went on until Lilah started Kindergarten, the methotrexate wasn't working to prevent the flare ups, she was chronic with more that 8 joints at one time in chronic flare that would not go away.
I had talked at length with the Rheumatology team and we made a harsh decision to change the treatment method.
We have now been on biologic treatment Enbrel injections at home once a week now for the last 5 years.
I am so please to say this has seen Lilah in and out of remission and has helped her more than anything, although it has caused chronic eczema over her trunk and legs.
Lilah loves people, she loves playing and loves school.
This last 6 months Lilah is starting to enter another flare up, stiff and sore every morning and night or after sitting for long periods. We are currently undergoing physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, hoping to also get into an occupational therapist soon.
One of her favourite things to do is to ride her bike but lately it is just getting to hard on her legs, it is a really big struggle. Please help Lilah, any donation even just a dollar all helps your kindness is much appreciated.
One of her favourite things to do is to ride her bike but lately it is just getting to hard on her legs, it is a really big struggle.
Please help Lilah, any donation even just a dollar all helps your kindness is much appreciated.
While this is well managed, she struggles on a daily basis. She loves being outdoors playing with her friends, please help me raise funds to purchase Lilah and E-Bike to help her increase her quality of life and ability to play with her friends and be a little kid.
Lilah is a kind, caring beautiful little soul that loves to care for and mum everybody, please help us give something back to help her and keep her big fighting spirit alive.
This is Lilah's story so far.
In 2011 aged just 18 months old, Lilah got terribly unwell, fevers, vomiting etc. The next day she was unable to walk, this continued on for months back and forward to the Dr, who tried to tell us it was just a sprain and that children don't stay off their legs so it won't heal. We fought for months before I decided to bite the bullet, this was affecting her development, she could not even walk properly, her left ankle was so swollen we could not even get shoes on he foot. I demanded physiotherapy to help with her development and that's when it got picked up.
Within weeks were were transferred to the Royal Children's hospital for steroid injections under Anesthesia, very scary times for first time parents.
This all ended up with the heartbreaking diagnosis of Juvenile Arthritis, an autoimmune disease that attacks he joints in the body causing chronic rheumatoid arthritis.
After months of specialist appointments and treatment, we started on methotrexate to suppress the immune system. To anyone that knows this drug, it is awful and she was so unwell for so long on this treatment, not growing or reaching development milestones, nausea all the time, loss of appetite, no energy, big dark circles under her eyes, it was heartbreaking as a mother to force those medications in to my babies system. This went on until Lilah started Kindergarten, the methotrexate wasn't working to prevent the flare ups, she was chronic with more that 8 joints at one time in chronic flare that would not go away.
I had talked at length with the Rheumatology team and we made a harsh decision to change the treatment method.
We have now been on biologic treatment Enbrel injections at home once a week now for the last 5 years.
I am so please to say this has seen Lilah in and out of remission and has helped her more than anything, although it has caused chronic eczema over her trunk and legs.
Lilah loves people, she loves playing and loves school.
This last 6 months Lilah is starting to enter another flare up, stiff and sore every morning and night or after sitting for long periods. We are currently undergoing physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, hoping to also get into an occupational therapist soon.
One of her favourite things to do is to ride her bike but lately it is just getting to hard on her legs, it is a really big struggle. Please help Lilah, any donation even just a dollar all helps your kindness is much appreciated.
Organizer
Azzlana Cordwell-Keygan
Organizer
Eddystone, TAS