Makayla Burns is a 24 year old mom, daughter, sister, friend, and amazing hairstylist. A little over one year ago, Makayla was diagnosed with Essential Thrombocythemia (ET), also known as primary thrombocytosis. This is a condition where her bone marrow is mass producing platelets at a staggering rate, that she does not need. These are the cells in the blood that produce clots.

We initially were told to monitor her platelet levels with routine blood work, every 3-6 months. This time has gone by with no red flags or warnings of what was to come.

On July 24th, 2025, Makayla was rushed to the hospital after losing consciousness in her home. After further testing and a work up at the emergency room, her platelet count was found to be 1.5 million. A normal platelet count is anywhere between 150,000- 450,000. Along with this, she was found to have had a stroke at her cerebellum, as well as an elevated Troponin of 700, which is an enzyme released into the blood stream when there has been damage to cardiac muscle; it’s usually an indicator of a heart attack, and normal levels are below 20.

She was then airlifted to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX, and has since been in the Neuro ICU. She is in a critical state, and is now depending on a transfer to UT Southwestern in Dallas, for life-saving plateletpheresis, where they will be able to draw off a large number of platelets at once.

This is only the first step in the direction of recovery. It has been made clear we have a long road ahead of us, as well as many unprecedented expenses.

If you’ve ever known Makayla, or had the privilege of getting close to her, chances are you’ve loved her. We’re asking for any help anyone is able to give. Her family deserves to spend this critical time with her, with minimal financial stressors. Makayla has a two-year old little girl who is her world and Makayla’s family needs to see Makayla come home.

Please continue praying for us. We’re hopeful