Help Fund Avery's Tomorrow

Three weeks ago, Avery was packing her bags and track spikes to anxiously return back to Augustana College in Illinois to commence her sophomore year of college on a track scholarship. As a last summer "hoorah", Avery and her friends took a trip to California. After arriving, Avery had consistent headaches that wouldn't go away. Brushing them off, she noticed that they became worse as her trip concluded. Upon her arrival back to Colorado, Avery was rushed to the ER with extreme headaches and excoriating eye pain. She was simply treated for a Migraine and sent home. Days later she then noticed her migraines were accompanied with severe back pain and blindness in her left eye. After the fourth time of ER visits and one neurology visit, Avery was finally admitted. Several tests and three days later, Avery was diagnosed with a rare disease coined, "NMO". Neuromyelitis Optica. Or Devics Syndrome. "NMO" is a neurological/autoimmune disease that effects her spinal cord and optic nerves or mobility and eye sight. Avery is now confined to a hospital bed, unable to walk long distances and she is accompanied with consistent pain. She has permanent spinal cord damage and is now taking upwards of 30 pills a day for pain and to contain her body from attacking itself. Because there is no cure for this disease and with only 4,000 people formally diagnosed with the disease in the nation, Avery has volunteered herself to be apart of a clinical study to test a drug that can help alleviate her painful symptoms. Because there must be controlled variables in a study. There is a 25% chance Avery will be the placebo group. The group that does not get medication. Unsure if Avery will be able to walk without pain, let alone run track, Avery is risking her life to help doctors find a cure to Neuromyelitis Optica With her hospital stay, ER visits, medication, physical therapy and rehabilitation, Avery's medical costs are rising exponentially. Because Avery is doing her part, selflessly, in helping future NMO patients be cured of this life threatening disease, please help us to help fund Avery's tomorrow in donations. This money will help Avery purchase her medication, pay rising medical bills and transportation costs as she will be needing to fly to and from Colorado once she returns back to school for infusions every month. She has a very strong support system in her immediate family but can use the support from as many people as possible. Help us to fund Avery's tomorrow. Thank you for taking the time to read about Avery and if you are unable to donate, please have Avery in your thoughts and prayers as she fights this disease every moment of every day. Bless up.