My name is Tanya Mortensen and I started this fundraiser to support my dear friend, Jennifer McCormick, as she navigates the stress and uncertainty of her daughter Payton's medical emergencies.

In January of this year, Payton suddenly began suffering from seizures. She and Jen have been back and forth to various doctors and specialists, along with ER visits and hospital stays. So far, doctors haven't been able to determine what is causing the seizures. However, it was discovered she is suffering from POTS and cardiac issues. The POTS is being managed with lifestyle changes. At this time, the cardiologist is hesitant to do a pacemaker on a 17-year-old to manage the cardiac issues as it greatly increases the odds of Payton suffering from heart failure at an early age. He is hopeful that determining the cause of the seizures and successfully managing them will have the added benefit of resolving the cardiac issues. Later this month, Jen will have Payton at Boys Town for an EMU which will take anywhere from 3 to 7 days to complete. Depending on the results, they may then be sent over to Mayo.

All of these doctor visits, tests, and stays have quickly added up. The medical bills alone currently amount to $20,000, and they still have the upcoming stay this month. On top of the quickly mounting medical bills, Jen has been having to miss work and pay for travel and stays and other things that come up during medical emergencies. Financial strain is very much compounding an already immensely stressful situation. It is for this reason that I've chosen to create this fundraiser with the hope that her friends and community can help ease this financial stress for her.