Help Marissa's Family

This account is set up to help Marissa Clothier's family with their medical bills after Marissa passed away unexpectedly on January 23rd at Phoenix Children's Hospital.  She was only 17 years old, a new big sister, and was studying to be an EMT. She had plans for a bright, happy future; her whole life was ahead of her.
 Life was good.  Marissa was a healthy 17-year-old who was short of breath at times and became short of breath when exercising, but never complained about it. When she did see her family doctor, she was misdiagnosed with asthma on January 11, 2017 and was sent home with an inhaler. Unfortunately the inhaler didn't help. Her grandmother took her back to the doctor on the 17th and was found to have an oxygen saturation of only 67%! She was rushed to the emergency room and was admitted immediately into intensive care. Her family members gathered as the doctors tried to figure out what was wrong.

The doctors ran every test they had and then discovered, she was in fact very ill. She was finally diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension. Asthma was not what caused her shortness of breath after all. They never found the underlying cause.

Sunday night, January 22, her mother, Jen was told things were looking up-she was going to survive. Early Monday morning, things took a turn for the worse. She bled into her lungs and went into cardiac arrest. The medical team performed chest compressions for 65 minutes trying to save this beautiful, happy, spunky, young girl. She was put on life support. The doctors performed a final test and declared that she was brain dead. Her family had to make the horrendous, unbearable decision to take her off of life support on January 23, 2017.

Parents Jen and Steve Nelson & Baby Tommy &  Big Sister Ris

I've known Marissa for four years now and all she wanted was a little brother or sister.  She received her wish on February 11, 2015 and became the proudest big sister to her little brother, Thomas.   I was really upset that God took her right after she became a big sister. Then I realized that she had received her wish, she was a big sister.  She loved Thomas with all of her heart!  They had a very unique bond. She made a special video on his first birthday of all the pictures they had together his first year. This amazing video we're sure Thomas will always cherrish and allow him to remember how much she loved him.  

Marissa wanted to help people and save lives, that's why she was studying medicine.  She was only 17 and when she got her license, she wanted to be an organ donor. Her parents supported her decision and allowed her organs to be donated.  As of today she has saved a person in Ohio and another in Arizona by donating her kidneys.  I know that these two people will be forever greatful for this amazing gift that they were given.

Now it is time to help Marissa, her brother, Thomas and her parents, Jen and Steve.   Please help Marissa's family now by donating what you can. Every little bit helps! Her parents are left with her wonderful memories, however the medical bills will be substantial. Every donation will help! If you can't afford to donate, please share the website with people that you know.

Any excess donations will be placed in a college fund for her baby brother, Thomas who knew his big sister for less than two years.