Stand with Giuliana in Her Medical Battle

Hi, my name is Ashley and I'm raising funds for my best friend Giuliana. On December 13, 2023 she noticed a rash and some flu-like symptoms that weren't going away that made her check into the local emergency department. By December 15th, she had deteriorated rapidly, was intubated and placed in an ICU with the diagnosis of Steven Johnson Syndrome/ Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

Steven Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is a very rare disorder that affects someone’s mucous membranes such as their eyes, mouth, etc. and covers their body with extremely painful blisters and a rash. Also, she had a more severe version of it called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TENS). Having TENS means the painful rash and necrotic tissue covers more than 30% of the patient's body but in her case it covered over 80% of her body before it began to plateau and heal. Essentially, this is all caused by an allergic reaction to a medication but instead of experiencing a severe immediate reaction such as anaphylaxis shock, your body slowly starts attacking itself from the inside and your skin becomes painfully necrotic. Both SJS and TENS can be fatal if treatment is delayed and both lack medical knowledge on the long-term effects as so few people have experienced it.

She was intubated and placed in a medically induced coma for 18 days and hospitalized overall for 31 days before being discharged. The SJS caused recurrent respiratory problems and caused long-term vision problems. She required surgery on one of her eyes following discharge from the hospital. She was also hospitalized again on March 17th for a few days due to trouble breathing.

It's been nearly 6 months since the beginning of being diagnosed with this disorder and she's still battling certain long-term complications, accumulating medical bills and still has yet to be cleared to return to work. Any donations would go towards her medical bills from being hospitalized, as well as to specialists she still has to see in regards to the SJS. It would also go towards specialty contact lenses she needs to help her vision get back to where it needs to be in order to begin working again.

We thank you kindly for reading her recent medical journey and for donating!