Multiple Sclerosis Fighter Fund!

Hello! My name is Danielle Walsh and I am here to help my sister Caitlin raise money for her Multiple Sclerosis treatment, and all costs associated with hospital visits medications, and future treatments. She is currently on my parents insurance which doesn't cover even half of her expenses.

Here is her story....

My sister is 24 years old. She's in college, has just opened her own business, and has a bright future ahead of her. However, in November 2018 she began to have some unfamiliar symptoms that progressed at an accelerated rate. She had pain in her hands, feet, and legs and numbness all the way up to her arms. Her skin became very sensitive to hot and cold water, to the point where she couldn't shower. The numbness got so bad, that she struggled to walk, write her name, and do typical daily functions like button a shirt. 

Caitlin spent a few days in and out of walk in clinics, and the local hospital, but they all sent her home saying she was fine. After a couple of weeks of her not getting any better, her symptoms progressed and she landed in the emergency room. The hospital was not equipped to deal with her and sent her home, telling her there was nothing they could do. 

 A few days later, she got so bad that she was struggling to breath, so my parents drove her two hours to another hospital where she was given an MRI and a spinal tap. It was  there that they revealed that she had several lesions on her spine and brain. 

Caitlin was put on a very high dosage of steroids for a month, to see if her symptoms would go away, and to also rule out injury from the flu shot. The steroids helped, but not entirely and after another spinal tap, it was revealed that she does in fact have Multiple Sclerosis. 

For those of you who don't know, MS is a disease in which your own immune system attacks the central nervous system (of the brain and the spine) causing lesions, scars and damage to the nerves.  The type she has is called RELAPSE REMITTING. This means she will have attacks of symptoms (called relapses) from time to time, followed by weeks, months, or years of recovery (called remissions). It can cause problems with vision, balance, muscle control, and other basic body functions.

The effects are often different for everyone who has the disease. There are several different treatment options all of which can cost up to $5,000 a month (or more) without insurance. These treatments will hopefully suppress any relapses she may have, but it doesn't cure MS. She will need to take some kind of medication for for the rest of her life. 

This very hard to swallow for a young 24 year old with her entire life ahead of her. The questions and what ifs and not knowing how this disease will take a turn are hard for anyone. 

We would normally never ask for money from anyone, but the expenses from this illness are piling up fast and a disastrous financial burden for anyone, let alone someone who is so young.

Caitlin will have to start with monthly shots of a drug called COPAXONE and will have to do this for the rest of her life. This medicine alone costs around $5,000 a month and currently is not covered by her insurance ($60,000 a year). She has also acquired around $10,000 in medical bills from being in and out of the hospital over the last couple of months. 

Since she is so young, we believe that she has a chance to figure out a course of treatment that will be the most beneficial, and allow her to life a normal life. To do this, we want her to have the best medical care and have options to choose different treatments as we learn more about MS.

I am hoping to raise enough money for her to be able to pay off her medical debt she already has, receive the medication that has been decided on for this moment, and to have the chance to get a second opinion from a specialist in Atlanta at the Shepard center to determine the correct course of action for someone so young.

We deeply thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and considerations during this time.