My best friend, Chloe Duffy, went suddenly blind

Imagine waking up one morning for work with super blurry vision. Alarming, but maybe there's a logical explanation... Maybe it's a weird fluke, perhaps you're just super dehydrated, you're asking yourself, "is this how pink-eye works?" Maybe it'll be better the next day. Except it didn't get better the next day, it gets twice as bad and hasn't gotten better since it started.

This is what happened to my best friend Chloe just a few months ago. After several wildly expensive visits to Storm Eye Institute, The Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami and some of the top neurologists in the country, we've narrowed it down to something called Leber's Syndrome. This rare genetic disorder affects women around the age of 30 by striking them down with severe and sudden blindness. On top of how expensive the testing and appointments are, Chloe was forced to resign from the job she loved as one of the lead Bartenders at Charleston's famed La Farfalle. Unable to count cash, use a computer or even read, Chloe is in need of any financial support we can offer.

Chloe will be using the money for food, rent and medical bills. Every little bit helps, even ten dollars is an Uber ride to or from an appointment at MUSC for Chloe, as she can no longer drive. Chloe is presently undergoing steroidal therapy in efforts to help regrow her optic nerve and slowly bring back some of her ability to see. We will be donating a small portion of everything contributed to researching Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) as there is currently no cure and therapies aren't largely effective. Any amount helps; going blind is quite costly, in ways you wouldn't realize until it happens to someone you love.

If it's easier,  you may Venmo Chloe directly at @chloe-duffy .  Thank you for reading