Starting TONIGHT (5/7), any donations made up to $10,000 will be matched by an anonymous donor!!!

In November 2024, my friend Katie's life changed almost over night. A caring and vibrant mother of three, wife, nurse, and devoted caregiver became largely bedbound after severe neurological symptoms rapidly took over following a virus and neck injury.

For the last several years, Katie had been caring for her chronically ill daughter. Now, her family is facing the unimaginable reality of fighting for Katie's health and future.

What began as confusion and searching for answers became an exhausting two-year battle. Katie now lives with progressive craniocervical instability and basilar invagination caused by a connective tissue disorder (EDS), which has weakened the structures meant to support her head and neck. In simple terms, there is dangerous pressure on her brainstem and spinal cord.

Katie experiences episodes of weakness and paralysis, tremors, severe head pressure, tics, burning nerve pain, difficulty walking, and left-sided neurological deficits. Sitting upright for even short periods of time can significantly worsen her symptoms. Katie spends 22 out of 24 hours a day lying flat to avoid neurological decline.

I've watched her endure these episodes with grace, courage, and patience. I have seen firsthand her physically crawl her way to get up stairs in her beloved bungalow home for an entire year to spend more time with her kids on the porch and first level, until it was no longer possible. They sold their home to aid in her functionality and spend more time with her family. Even using a specialized custom wheelchair to support her head and spine is limited and often increases the pressure in her head. Something as simple as a trip to the backyard must be carefully planned, requiring multiple people, and is limited to less than two hours outside her bedroom. Even basic tasks like washing her hair now require help. She can be out of her neck brace for only a few minutes, while someone carefully supports her head in the exact position to prevent neurological symptoms.

After countless appointments, tests, waitlists, and consultations with specialists around the world, Katie has been accepted for highly specialized neurosurgery in Spain...a surgery that offers hope of stability, relief, and the chance to reclaim pieces of her life for the first time in TWO years.

Things many of us take for granted, Katie misses dearly: sitting upright at the kitchen table with her family, hugging and cuddling with her family, going to church, helping her kids with homework and simply being present without sacrificing her health.

The decision was not made lightly. It came after extensive research, expert opinions, and exhausting efforts to find answers closer to home.

The costs are overwhelming. Out-of-pocket surgery, international travel, housing during recovery, medical care abroad, and ongoing expenses while Katie is unable to work have placed an enormous burden on the family.

If you know Katie, you know how much she has poured into others as a mother, nurse, friend, and advocate. Right now, she needs us to pour into her during this critical fight for her life.

Every donation, every share, and every prayer matters. Your support can help give Katie access to the lifesaving care she urgently needs and provide hope to a family carrying more than anyone should have to bear.

These funds will go directly towards:

Please helps us give Katie a chance to heal.