Leila Malherbe's Road to Recovery

Hello everyone, we are Ahva, Alyssa, Anisa, and Cristina. A very close friend of ours, Leila Norris Malherbe, began losing sensation from the waist down beginning July 24th, shortly after she, her husband, Nico, and their two small children recovered from COVID-19. With the fluctuating loss of sensation in her legs, Leila has experienced difficulty walking. In her better moments, Leila can walk slowly for very brief periods of time, but unsteadily, and only with the assistance of a person, a walker, or furniture on which to support herself. At other times, Leila loses most sensation from the waist down and needs to be pushed around on a rolling chair.

Leila was hospitalized for her symptoms on July 29th and underwent spinal MRIs, brain scans, and a litany of blood tests. The doctors ruled out a variety of causes for Leila's symptoms, but she still does not have a clear diagnosis. One possible diagnosis that has been neither confirmed nor ruled out at this time is Guillain-Barré syndrome. For the time being, Leila has been lumped into the category of "COVID Long Haulers," but her search for answers and a clearer diagnosis continues.

In the weeks prior to experiencing the fluctuating loss of sensation in her legs, Leila experienced several back-to-back illnesses that weakened her immune system, the last of which was COVID-19, which culminated in an ER visit when she experienced a fever of 105 degrees. It appears that Leila's body went into shock while fighting COVID with an immune system that had been weakened from those prior illnesses, which resulted in her immune system going into hyperdrive and attacking her nervous system. At this time, it's unclear when Leila's symptoms and condition will improve, but she has a long recovery journey ahead. She was released from the hospital on July 31st, and the journey continues at home.

Many folks have already asked how to help Leila and her family during this difficult time. We started this gofundme in response to those many requests. Those of you who know Leila and Nico will know how difficult it was for them to agree to let us fundraise for them. But the level of support that Leila and her family require under the circumstances goes beyond what most families can provide without some financial assistance. While we have set an initial goal of $30,000, the actual need is unknown.

At this time and for the indefinite future, Leila requires in-home nurse visitations, in-home physical therapy visits, and caretakers for herself and her two small children, ages 2 and 3. The purpose of this fundraiser is to help Leila's family fund those expenses as well as the costs of her recent hospital stay, scans, and testing.

If you are interested in supporting Leila and her family in other ways (e.g., providing meals, arranging play dates for her children, giving rides to appointments, etc.), please contact us.

Thank you all in advance, and please keep Leila and her dear family in your prayers.

Pictured: Leila and her family cuddling while recovering from COVID-19.