Support Eva's Fight Against JDM

Help Eva on her JDM Journey

In May, 2022 Eva was diagnosed with Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM), a rare autoimmune disease that attacks muscle cells and the blood vessels. As a result, her muscles were weakened and damaged, eliminating (for now) her ability to stand, walk, run, jump or play. Since her diagnosis, Eva has been in and out of a wheelchair, gone through several medical procedures, worked hard and has taken a myriad of medications, all with various side effects. The journey thus far has been a difficult one, but she's an incredibly strong, brave little girl!

Although she's been fighting hard and has come a long way since the beginning, Eva recently experienced a significant setback. After a few months of being back on her feet, Eva's JDM became more active and her muscles formed new contractures, putting her back in a wheelchair.

Seeing Eva regress, even under the care of her excellent Kaiser doctors, was discouraging. So, this summer when we got the opportunity to fly her to George Washington University in Washington DC, to be evaluated by some of the top doctors in myositis, we took it!

It was an expensive trip, but well worth it. There we learned that Eva's JDM was extremely active and was continuing to cause damage, despite any recent progress. It was their recommendation to start Eva on a new, aggressive treatment protocol right away. With the support of her team at Kaiser, that's exactly what we've done. Although this protocol means much stronger medicines and more frequent trips to the infusion center, it comes with a lot of hope. It also comes with a cost, as time off, travel and medical expenses have a way of adding up.

We are starting this GoFundMe to humbly seek support in raising money to recoup the costs of our recent trip to DC, as well as hopefully fund a follow-up trip in 6-8 months. Anything we can raise toward this goal would be amazing, and so very appreciated.

Thank you for being here for Eva! And thank you for all the love and support,

The Alspektor Family