Kelly Hashiro

Help Kelly Hashiro’s Fight Against Anti-NMDA-Receptor Encephalitis Disease

If you know Kelly, you know how incredibly sweet, kind, caring and brilliant she is. She normally lights up a room with her smile and when you get to know her, is a fierce and loyal friend. She is also a real tough competitor, scholar and advocate who was in the midst of her college career at Arizona State University and was supposed to start her junior year in the Barrett Honors program this fall.

For those in the cheer community who know her, they have been touched with a wonderful teammate and inspired by her incredible talent and grit. So we are hopeful that if anyone can beat this disease head-on, Kelly will. At this point in her treatment, Kelly has had more steps backwards than forward. Having UCLA Medical on her side, we are hopeful that this trend will be reversed in the near future and good days will start outweighing the bad ones. However, her family is preparing for and understands Kelly’s path to full recovery will mean lots of hills and some deep valleys ahead.

Any support that can be given to this family is appreciated. For those of you who have been touched by the Hashiro’s in any way and even those whose hearts are touched by a caring, kind and giving family, we hope you are able to send your support as the medical bills will continue to mount for years even after she is able to return home. Your generosity will make a world of difference in her recovery and provide her parents and family with the peace of mind to focus on her healing.

If you are unable to support financially, please forward and send this GoFundMe worldwide not only to assist the Hashiro’s but to bring more awareness to this awful disease. Faster diagnosis and better treatments are needed to combat this disease. Awareness is the key so that others do not have to fight for their loved ones as much as Duane and Jeannine has had to fight for the right diagnosis and treatment for Kelly.

To those who have never heard of this disease, it is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the brain. It is found in 1 in every 1.5 million people. Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis was first identified in 2007, and due to its rarity and brief history there is very little research to guide treatment. Kelly has suffered and continues to suffer from many of the symptoms (very rapid or slow breathing, fevers, extremely high heart rate, and heart pauses), mania, speech problems, depression, delusions, hallucinations, agitation, catatonia, seizures and memory loss). Each and every day has been a struggle to see the Kelly we all know. Her loved ones cherish the tiny glimpses of her beautiful personality which peeks through here and there and gives everyone glimmers of hope that she is fighting her way back to us.You can also get a glimpse of what they are all going through by educating yourself on Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis by watching Netflix’s “Brain on Fire” which shows the first diagnosis of this awful disease in 2007.

Appreciate all the prayers and support you can give this family and this community!