Please Help Fund Kiara’s Surgeries

Yesterday, my daughter Kiara was officially diagnosed with an eye disease in both of her eyes called keratoconus after experiencing rapidly worsening vision and a few other symptoms. Let me tell you a little bit about Kiara. Kiara is my only daughter, the youngest of 4 (but arguably tougher than the boys). She is my beautiful tough princess. As you can see, she is beautiful on the outside, but even more beautiful on the inside where it really counts. She inspires and impresses me more and more everyday. She is a full time student paying for her own studies and majoring in Human Development and Family Studies, hoping to pursue ministry. She has a heart of gold and a heart on fire for Jesus. She loves and trusts the Lord wholeheartedly and sincerely. She cares for those she knows and those she meets. She is constantly trying to help others, and now she can use some help herself. Now that you know Kiara, let me tell you a little about her disease. Keratoconus is an incurable eye disease that causes thinning and misshaping of the cornea. This eye disease causes progressive vision loss, sensitivity to light, double vision, blurred vision, and other symptoms. Unfortunately, in a case that’s not mild, keratoconus can not restore eye sight through glasses or contact lenses as you would with typical vision impairment. While there is no cure for keratoconus, there is a surgery that can be done to hopefully stop the disease in its track and prevent further vision loss. This procedure is called crosslinking or CXL and it’s something that Kiara is needing to get done immediately in both of her eyes. Kiara has been discouraged about the diagnosis as she’s felt that she is missing the “simple things in life” while also feeling the weight of financial burden. Also, her vision loss has caused daily challenges with her job, schoolwork/classes, driving, and in being able to fully experience things with friends and family. She shared that you don’t understand how much something matters until it’s gone, and that she took her sight for granted. Despite the discouragement and fear she has felt, Kiara is full of hope for restored sight and for her future. Any donations will be used to fund the cross linking surgery in both eyes. A few months after the surgery, she hopes to get scleral lenses which are special hard contact lenses designed for keratoconus patients that can help improve vision in a way regular contacts and glasses can not. The procedure costs $6,000 and the lenses cost $2,000 per eye. Kiara is saving money by working extra hours at her job, but she will also need to take off of work for her appointments, surgery, and the time to heal. No donation is too small and anything is appreciated. If you don’t have the funds to contribute, please join us in prayer as she is believing in the process, the healing, and continuing to fulfill her goals. Specific prayer points: - Financial blessing - A stop in the progression of the disease - Peace and joy amidst fear and discouragement Thank you so much for being a part of this journey. We will keep you updated as she battles this disease and we see restoration of her eye sight!