Help Save Amy Aiken's Life

Dear Family, Friends, and Kind Supporters,

For those who like to get to the point:

            The short story is that Amy Aiken, a survivor of Bacterial Meningitis, is traveling to the #1 rated Respiratory Hospital in the Nation in Denver, CO for treatment that will help her breathe normally. She wants nothing more than to seek the best medical team to help her breath normally again, run, continue helping others, live life as normal as she can, and work again (who doesn’t want these basic things in life?!). Her current diagnoses since contracting Meningitis in 2011 are:

- Immune Deficiency
- Pseudomonas Aeruginosa colonized in her sinuses and lungs (a deadly bacterium likened to MRSA)
- Bronchiectasis (this lung disease mimics cystic fibrosis)
- Chronic kidney disease post kidney transplant status
- A fractured rib from coughing

            Amy needs our help to pay for traveling costs, medical bills, and continuing, never-ending medical costs. Really, she needs our help to stay alive. If you are able, please consider donating to an amazing human, who has overcome more than almost anyone can possibly imagine. We are trying to reach a goal of only $3,000 to help give life back to Amy. In a time of dire need and a matter of life or death, her, and her family and friends will be forever grateful for your life-saving contributions and support.

For those who would like to know more:

            Many of you know Amy Aiken and her life’s story, and if not, it’s one of tragedy, survival, and inspiration. On October 25, 2011, Amy’s life changed completely when she contracted Bacterial Meningitis, aka Meningococcal Meningitis Disease at 29 years old. As a result of the illness, she almost died within 24 to 48 hours after contracting it. She is one of the few people in the world to survive her particular type of Meningococcal Meningitis. She contracted the worst form of the disease, which includes the bacterial Strain B of Meningitis, causing her to develop Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome (WFS). This syndrome caused severe bleeding into her adrenal glands due to the severity of the bacterial infection, leading to adrenal gland failure. In Amy’s words, “By miracle alone, and a good luck guess by a doctor, I survived. However, the disease caused quite a bit of wreckage both externally and internally. I lost all of my fingers on my right hand, parts of all my fingers on my left hand, and my legs were amputated below the knees. My body is 80% scarred and skin-grafted. Internally, almost all organs were damaged but survived, except my kidneys and adrenal glands. This created the need to put me on dialysis for 2 years until my Mother Jean was able to donate one of her kidneys to me. My Mother Jean was able to give me the Gift of Life twice.”

            Amy has made quite a recovery since contracting Bacterial Meningitis and enduring an eight-month hospital stay. She had to learn how to do every automatic function all over again at the age of 30, like swallowing, gripping, holding anything, sitting up, showering, driving, and, what she describes as the hardest of all, walking. She has even re-learned how to run on running blades. The recovery road hasn’t been easy. In total, she has had 17 amputations, complications with her kidney transplant, countless infections, and countless surgeries. In March of 2017, her health took a brutal and almost fatal fall again with a standard medical procedure that was done incorrectly. She ended up in ICU with sepsis and renal failure setting in. The doctors were once again able to get her body under control but found out much later that the event had completely destroyed what immune system she had left. As a result, she developed ANOTHER disease called Bronchiectasis, a lung disease that mimics cystic fibrosis. Imagine waking up with flu-like symptoms and a sinus infection every.single.day. Imagine trips to the ER because you can’t breathe. Amy has become debilitated to the point where she can’t work, live life on her own, or have a normal life in any way.

            The fight doesn’t stop with her constant health needs. If you can imagine, her constant medical bills have become overwhelming. She racked up more debt in 2017 from hospitalizations and medical bills than she did in student loans during her entire time in college. Now, despite being on disability (which only covers 80% of her healthcare bills), she pays $600/month for supplemental health insurance so that her medications and prostheses are covered. She currently sees 10 specialized doctors because of everything that has happened.

            Before Amy contracted Bacterial Meningitis, she was a fun-loving and hard-working woman. At work, she was a relentless salesperson with a talent and passion for photography. When she became sick, she became disabled. She lost her legs, her fingers, her job, and her ability to fulfill her passion by holding a camera. Eventually, her company hired her back and was very good to her, until she was laid off last April, just a few days after she hit her 10 year Anniversary with the company. Since then, staying alive and affording to live have become the heaviest burdens in her life.

            In spite of all she has endured, she has found a way to turn her fight for survival into positive actions by helping others. According to Amy, “I am proud of my accomplishments since Bacterial Meningitis being both small and large. I filmed a PSA about Bacterial Meningitis which helped spread awareness with the National Meningitis Association through social media outlets, and I also helped them as an advocate. I have told my story to Representatives at the Texas State Capital with another public health organization, as well as being interviewed by local news media outlets, interviewed by writers and bloggers, and even used as the subject of a photograph that was published in a magazine; all in the hopes of generating awareness about the deadly disease I have fought for 7 long years.”

          If you know her, you know she rarely asks for help. She didn’t even want to make a GoFundMe, until I basically forced her to let me. Her biggest fight right now is breathing because of the Bronchiectasis. Her trip to National Jewish Respiratory Hospital is scheduled for November 5th-14th for testing and treatment. If you can help in any way, you will be helping to save her life.

All the love and kindness in the world,

Tess, a lady lucky enough to know Amy, and Amy