Support Allison's Fight for Recovery

2/10/25 Update - Ally has shown incredible improvements in the last week and has been able to walk, talk, eat, and act just like herself and she was moved out of ICU. However, we found out today she will need another brain surgery tomorrow morning. While all of her symptoms have improved, one of her brain abscesses has doubled in size. Please continue to keep this sweet little girl in your thoughts and prayers.

My name is Danielle and I have never done anything like this and, like most people, thought I would never need to. Sadly and unexpectedly, that changed this week. So I’m here asking for help for my family, for my poor niece who is a FIGHTER, for her parents, who are devastated but are holding on to every bit of optimism and strength that they can for her and her brother.

On Friday, January 24th, my 9-year-old niece Allison started to feel like she had a cold coming on. She was congested and had a headache with a low-grade fever, but every time she took medicine, she felt like her normal self and the fever went away. My brother and sister-in-law continued to treat the symptoms, and she kept feeling better after. It’s flu season, and the weather changing is making people sick constantly. My husband, myself, my parents, and most people we know have all been sick at some point this winter, and it hasn’t been unusual to linger for a week or so, so no one thought anything of it. She had a cold, but no big deal.

That changed when Allison woke up Thursday, January 30th, still not feeling well. She said she felt “weird.” She was unable to move the left side of her body. It was obvious something was really, seriously wrong. Her parents rushed her to the local ER where they did blood work and a CAT scan and discovered pockets of fluid, abscesses, in her brain. She was immediately emergency medivacced to Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, FL, where she could get the best treatment possible.

After a lot more testing, doctors were able to tell my brother and sister-in-law that their oldest child, their beautiful, smart, funny, amazing daughter had four abscesses in different locations in her brain that required surgery as soon as possible! Fortunately, and unfortunately, her surgeons have seen this a few times this flu season; several children have had an average cold quickly become an emergency situation. What had seemed like a mild cold was actually a sinus infection that, WITHIN A FEW DAYS, spread from her sinus cavity into her cranium, creating pockets of infection around my niece’s brain that put her in a literal life or death situation.

After two emergency craniotomies in the middle of the night, her surgeons and doctors were and are optimistic! They were able to drain 80% of the fluid, releasing a lot of pressure from her brain, and they are hopeful antibiotics will knock out the rest of the infection. If not, a third surgery might have to happen Sunday. But Allison is awake as of a few hours ago and is in a much better state than she was yesterday. We are all beyond thankful the surgeries were a success, she’s in the best hands possible, and looking up from here! This girl is tough!

So that leads us to the help I am here asking for - we all know they are likely looking at an insurmountable amount of medical debt once all is said and done. But that’s not what we’re asking for help with. That is the least of my brother and sister-in-law's worries right now. What they could use most is help getting by while they do everything they can to not lose their minds and all they can do is wait and watch what their daughter is going through. Allison is looking at a long road to what we are hopeful will be a FULL recovery, but in order for her parents to be able to be there with her, they need help paying bills. Help filling the gas tank so they can drive the almost hour each way to see her as much as possible while she’s in the hospital. Help with Allison’s in-home care needs when she is finally able to come home and see her little brother (who CANNOT WAIT to see his sister again). Help as she starts her road to recovery with her family by her side as much as possible.

So, please, if you read this far and are in a position to help, please do! Every little bit helps a lot, and everyone’s few dollars add up and can make a huge difference for a family who could really use a hand right now. And if you’re not in a position to help, WE GET IT. Please send sweet Allison all of the prayers and positive vibes you can spare!

Thank you for reading Allison’s story. HUG YOUR BABIES.