Tationna Adams has always been a survivor. But now she needs your help.

Tati is overseas in Germany, where uncontrollable seizures were being treated by doctors in Amberg. Her medical bills, just to try to stabilize her enough to come home, are over $30,000 (and climbing), as of January 4, 2026. On January 7, she was moved to a hospital in Regensburg, for brain surgery. Update 2/3/26: On January 15, she had surgery, which was successful! We expect she will be coming home via a commercial flight later this month. We remain extremely grateful for all the love and support. I’ve adjusted the goal down to $20,000, since it looks like we won’t need a medical flight and have been pleasantly surprised that the medical bills were not as large as we feared. But we are still asking people to consider contributing, because there is still a gap between the donation amount and the total cost. Thank everyone again for your support!

In December, German doctors discovered that Tati suffers from an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in the blood vessels in her brain, which caused her seizures and required brain surgery to correct. The doctors were working hard to get Tati stable enough to fly her home for treatment, but eventually determined that she could not be stabilized enough to fly and needed surgery in Germany.

Even before this medical emergency, Tati hasn’t had it easy. Tati and her sister were first raised by their grandmother in Yuma, Arizona. When they were 6 and 7, the two girls were moved to rural West Virginia to be raised by their aunt and uncle. After Tati’s uncle died in 2018 and her aunt died in early 2020, the two girls moved to a new home again, this time with a cousin and his wife who lived in the same school district, so they could finish their primary education with their friends and classmates at Hundred High School.

But even with all this upheaval, Tati flourished. In 2025, she was elected class president of Hundred High’s final graduating class. She had been a multi-sport varsity athlete, and she was selected to give a graduation speech. After graduating, Tati signed up for classes to become a phlebotomist.

During her last semester and the summer after graduation, Tati lived with classmates from time to time, and with family friends who have ties to Germany. She joined those family friends for a trip to Munich over the Christmas holidays.

Tati’s first few days in Germany were positive. But since December 22, she was in and out of a hospital with increasingly serious seizures. Tati was cycled through different medications, at increased doses, in an effort to get her stable enough so she can fly home for continued care. Unfortunately, none of those medicines stabilized her enough to make the international flight safe. She was discharged multiple times only to be returned, via ambulance, when she seized again. She was then transferred to a new hospital in preparation for brain surgery.

Tati is a fighter. And the surgery went well. We are very happy to share that the surgery has already improved her motor skills and memory, both of which had been compromised by the seizures. But we still expect she will have a long road ahead to recover fully.

While the current need is to pay for her medical bills in Germany (which we expect aren’t covered by her US insurance) and get her home, she is likely to need surgery and physical therapy when she returns.

Tati is strong, funny, and fierce, and has made it through more challenges in her 19 years than most face in a lifetime. But now she needs your help.

Donations will go towards her medical bills in Germany. If we are fortunate enough to cover those expenses, we will oversee using any remaining funds for her inevitable rehabilitation and occupational needs, which we expect will be significant.

* Updated on Jan. 21, 2026, to reflect the successful surgery and reduce the fundraising goal from $130,000 to $90,000.

* * Updated on Jan. 7, 2026, to reflect that brain surgery is scheduled n Germany.

* ** Updated on Jan. 6, 2026, at the direction of GoFundMe to provide additional information: Amie Ely, the administrator, is the daughter of Lora and Martin Whiteman, the aunt and uncle referenced above, and the sister of Daniel Whiteman, the cousin referenced above. (Lora's obituary explains the relationship.) I expect to provide the funds to Roger and Janet Phillips, the family friends in Germany, when they provide me with receipts for Tati's medical costs. (I understand they have also set up a separate fund-raising effort through a bank in Hundred; I will work with them to ensure they are reimbursed only once for the relevant expenses. ) If additional funds remain after the medical and flight costs have been paid, I will put those funds in a bank account for Tati, which I expect to oversee. I will assume the fiduciary responsibility to this account to ensure that funds are used for her medical, therapeutic, and occupational needs.

*** Updated on Jan. 13 to reflect surgery planned for Jan. 15 and to make some other minor edits.