Help Rachel Get Urgent Treatment for a Debilitating CSF Leak and Seizures

Our dear friend Rachel is in the middle of a devastating medical crisis, and she needs our help now more than ever.

Rachel is a loving and devoted wife of 14 years to her doting husband Simon who has been doing everything he can for Rachel during this time. Rachel is also a mom to her 2-year-old daughter, Leila. Just weeks after Leila was born, Rachel was hit by an elderly driver in a serious car accident — an accident that would unknowingly change the course of her health and her life.

The trauma from the crash caused severe damage to her spine, and over the past two years, Rachel has undergone multiple back surgeries, including two lumbar microdiscectomies and a laminectomy. But instead of finding relief, things only got worse. Her body began showing signs of a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak — a rare but serious condition where spinal fluid escapes the protective space around the brain and spine.

This condition has left her in constant, life-altering pain and has triggered worsening seizure clusters, which now happen multiple times a day — sometimes just from moving her head or shifting positions.

Since early August 2025, Rachel’s condition has rapidly declined:

She is now completely bedridden, unable to sit, stand, or even lift her head without triggering violent seizures.

She’s lost over 10 pounds in a few weeks from severe nausea, headaches, and pain.

She’s experiencing memory issues, trouble speaking, and overwhelming neurological symptoms.

Despite being in and out of emergency rooms, she's been repeatedly sent home, with her CSF leak and seizures largely ignored.

An attempt to treat the leak with an epidural blood patch backfired — it caused dangerous intracranial pressure spikes, and her seizures have worsened ever since. A neurosurgeon who initially agreed to operate has since backed out, leaving Rachel without options and growing more critical by the day.

Rachel has recently started seizure medication (Keppra), but it's not enough. She now urgently needs:

Specialized treatment for CSF leaks and seizure control

Advanced neuroimaging and diagnostics

Travel to an out-of-state facility that can handle complex cases like hers

Support for her and Leila, while she’s unable to work or care for her daughter

This is a young mom who was injured while recovering from childbirth — and she’s been fighting ever since. Now, she’s too sick to keep fighting alone.

Please consider donating or sharing this page. Every contribution helps bring Rachel closer to the care she desperately needs — and to being the mother she longs to be for little Leila.

Thank you so much for your love, support, and compassion. ❤️