Melinda and baby Violet

Hi, my name is Maddy and I’m fundraising for my coworker and good friend, Melinda, whose unborn baby was recently diagnosed with Myelomeningocele, the most serious form of Spina Bifida. There are many unknown medical costs, as well as the costs associated with moving herself and her family to Sacramento for the CuRe Trial. Please see Melinda’s story below:

“A little life update & ask for prayers and/or good vibes: A month ago, our unborn daughter, Violet, was diagnosed with a rare condition called Myelomeningocele, the most serious form of Spina Bifida. In her specific case, all measurable variables have been deemed severe, even for Myelomeningocele.

We want to give our sweet girl the best chance at a healthy & happy life, which is why we’ve decided to move our family to Sacramento for 1 to 4 months (depending on many factors) to participate in the CuRe Trial. It is the world's first spina bifida treatment combining fetal surgery with stem cells. We will be the 10th family to ever receive this treatment! While there, Violet and I will undergo open fetal surgery where in addition to the standard procedure, a stem cell patch will be applied directly to the opening on her spine. We’re hoping and praying she will wait several weeks to be born afterwards. Although it is not a cure, the possible improvement to her condition is making us hopeful that we can give her the best life possible.

I can’t express how much I wish I could make this all go away for her - she doesn’t deserve to start her life this way- but I feel blessed to have an opportunity to hopefully improve Violet’s quality of life beyond what was previously thought possible because of modern medicine, our moms’ help, & a company like McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. that has been so supportive of my family and our plan. I can't imagine working for anyone else throughout this time.”