Help 10-Year-Old Aspen Get Urgent Neurological Care

Aspen is our 10-year-old daughter, and since February 6th, our lives have completely changed.

Before all of this, Aspen was a happy, active little girl. She loved to dance and do gymnastics, and she was always helping take care of her younger siblings—including her autistic brother. She was strong, full of energy, and always on the go.

Now, Aspen is in constant pain.

She has been suffering from chronic headaches and intense pressure in her head that has not improved—even after ENT surgery. She experiences ongoing neurological symptoms including constant tics, involuntary swearing, and episodes of eye rolling that resemble seizure-like activity. It’s as if her body is constantly trying to regulate itself, and she cannot find relief.

Since February, Aspen has continued to decline. She is losing weight, struggling to eat, and still not sleeping. She no longer has the strength to carry her younger siblings, and something as simple as playing outside leaves her completely winded.

What’s been just as heartbreaking is the emotional toll. Aspen is embarrassed by what she’s going through. Instead of telling people she’s in pain, she will sit quietly and cry. She has missed a significant amount of school and is no longer able to live the life she once loved.

After surgery, we were hoping for improvement—but her symptoms have only gotten worse. In addition to throat pain from the procedure, she still has extreme, persistent head pain.

We have learned that Aspen has two known cysts on her brain that are causing pressure (mass effect) on critical areas, including the brainstem and cranial nerves 5 through 11. These nerves control essential functions like facial sensation, swallowing, speaking, and neck movement. When pressure is placed on these nerves or the brainstem, it can lead to severe pain, neurological symptoms, difficulty eating, and problems with normal body regulation—many of the symptoms Aspen is experiencing every day.

We believe Aspen needs more advanced neurological care and answers that we have not been able to get locally.

We are now preparing to take Aspen to the Twin Cities for specialized care and further evaluation. This requires us to take more time off work immediately. We have already used all of our paid time off, but our focus has to be getting Aspen the help she desperately needs.

We are asking for help to cover:

Travel expenses to and from the cities

Lodging during appointments and evaluations

Medical costs and testing

Lost income while we are away from work

Groceries and basic needs for our family

Watching Aspen suffer like this has been devastating. She has lost so much in such a short amount of time, and we are doing everything we can to get her the care she needs.

We just want our daughter back!!!

We also have Venmo: @Caleb-Goodin-4

If you are able to donate, share, or say a prayer for Aspen, we are incredibly grateful. Thank you for helping us fight for our daughters care.