My name is Kathleen Smith, and I have proudly served as the CMV Community Alliance Chair for the state of Minnesota for the past two years.

I am reaching out to request your help securing funds to hire two ASL interpreters for my upcoming presentation at the 4th International CMV Congress in Naples, Italy, on November 20–21, 2025.

I know this is short notice—I need to have that fundraising completed before November 5th, 2025. That is when I can register if I have enough to cover ASL interpreters.

I received notice on October 23, 2025, that my abstract had been accepted, which was excellent news—but it came at the very last minute, after the conference extended its submission deadline. Unfortunately, the conference will not provide interpreters, creating a significant accessibility barrier.

Here in the United States, we are fortunate to have the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but in Europe, there is no comparable requirement to ensure communication access. It has been very challenging to find interpreters willing and able to travel on such short notice, and I cannot attend or present effectively without them.

The National CMV Foundation has generously pledged $1,000, but we still need approximately $5,000 more (total cost: $6,570) to cover flights, accommodations, and interpreting fees for both interpreters.

This presentation is profoundly personal and meaningful to me — I’ll be sharing my journey of being born with congenital CMV (cCMV) and living as a Deaf advocate and educator. It’s a rare opportunity to represent the lived experiences of adults with CMV at an international medical conference.

Any amount of support would make a tremendous difference and help ensure accessibility and inclusion at this critical event.

Thank you so much for your time, understanding, and any assistance you can provide.

With sincere gratitude,