Help Vivian Get to Stanford

Friends and Family of the Musacchia Family,

I’m starting this GoFundMe in support of Vivian Musacchia who needs our help to cover the costs of her and her family going to an 8-10 week in-patient pediatric pain management service at Stanford Children’s Hospital. As you may or may not know Vivian has started suffering from severe migraine headache pain. In March of this year as Vivian was recovering from a spinal surgery when she began having constant migraine headaches. I would like your help to raise money for the trip to Stanford and help pay for all of the needs Vivian and her family have going on right now. Any funds raised for this effort are for the current needs below and medical issues we know about as of today. We cannot foresee how many new issues Vivian will encounter in the future, so please feel free to support by donating and or sharing with everyone you know. We appreciate everyone’s help and support in this effort.

Vivian’s Story:

As we know, since birth Vivian has faced and overcome numerous health and medical issues.  Vivian has had multiple surgeries due to her rare neurological condition of Klippel feil with caudal regression syndromes. Throughout her life she has suffered through multiple surgeries on her back, feet and bladder. The multitude of complex health/medical issues began in 2017 with her previous spinal tethered cord release surgery which took away her ability to walk. Then in late 2018 she began to have intense nerve pain which resulted in another spinal surgery in Feb 2019, which we now know was just the start of a year full of new severe medical/health issues.

Vivian’s parents, Bea and Jesse, work tirelessly day and night to help her live as close to a normal life as possible. Vivian also now requires a full-time caregiver, a role Jesse took on to make sure Vivian could get to all of her specialists appointments and receive the ongoing care she requires, a regime that includes at least weekly visits to the ER seeking temporary relief of a constant migraine headache that has been at a baseline pain level of 8, but often escalates to a high 10. CHOC doctors have told them that they have exhausted all the normal options to reduce Vivian’s pain and the next option is see the doctors at Stanford Children’s hospital.  Vivian’s headache pain has started affecting her life in many ways as she has difficulties with short term memory, she can’t attend high school and even home-schooling has not been successful. In July, she was in critical condition requiring 2 more surgical procedures because medication that she was given for her headache shut down her colon. Vivian’s medical/health issues are identified by doctor’s as complex and going to Stanford for the in-patient treatment at Stanford seems to be the only way we can help her.

Vivian’s Needs:

The family has gone from two incomes to one, and as you can imagine, their finances are getting stretched thin.  They have used their savings and taken out money from retirement to help cover expenses.  For the most part, insurance and savings have helped the family cover most of Vivian’s life-threatening surgeries, extended hospital stays, numerous emergency visits and a multitude of specialists’ appointments, but the family needs help with so many needs that we as family and observers can only see on the surface level. If you can look into your heart to give a large donation to help someone who truly needs your help, right now would be the time. Unfortunately, they need everyone’s help to cover only some of the costs of Vivian’s ongoing needs. Some examples include: Vivian’s neurosurgeon has informed the family that she also needs to have another cervical neck fusion surgery before the end of this year, but it can only be done after the headache pain is resolved. The family has also had their Odyssey for at least 15 years now. This is the only vehicle they have large enough to transport Vivian’s wheelchair. Regrettably, this van is at the end of its life and needs to be replaced. The family needs a van with wheelchair accessibility but are willing to accept help to purchase any van that can transport Vivian’s wheelchair. Vivian’s also needs a new wheelchair (the one she has is over 5 years old), Vivian also needs new leg braces and orthotic shoes. Vivian would also like to get a service animal to help her cope with her pain. Not to mention help paying for multiple costs related to the In-patient procedure at Stanford Children’s Hospital, things I can think of are food, travel, hotel, and un-earned income for two parents during the 8-10 week stay in Stanford.

I have watched my sister and her family struggle so much this year and for the multiple reasons discussed above I have created this GoFundMe account to help them. Vivian is a hero to all of us and inspires so many people around her because she has overcome so many challenges. I have never seen her upset or angry at her situation, she always has a smile on her face choosing to face these challenges head on and with a positive attitude. Anyone that meets her is always impressed at her generous and kind spirit.

Any funds raised for this effort are for the issues we know about, as of today. We cannot foresee how many new issues Vivian will encounter in the future, so please feel free to support by donating to this GoFundMe or sharing this GoFundMe link with your friends and family. We appreciate and thank you all who support this effort. If you are aware of any organizations, resources, or websites that can help the Musacchia family, please provide this information to Beatrice. 100% of the funds received will go directly to the Musacchia Family and Vivian.

Vivian has started sharing her lifetime experiences on social media. Feel free to follow her and read her stories by visiting this link:

·       Instagram @vivsadaptivelife or Vivians Instagram