My name is Sarah, and I’m creating this fundraiser for a dear family friend, Millie Dotson. Millie is the sweetest, most selfless girl. She’s the best older sister to her two brothers, always willing to help others and making sure everyone around her feels loved. It’s heartbreaking to watch her face more health challenges than most adults do in a lifetime.
Since being diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) over 13 years ago, her family has fought tirelessly, pursuing every traditional medical path available. She has undergone methotrexate (a form of chemotherapy), weekly Enbrel and Humira injections, monthly Actemra infusions, arthrocentesis procedures, intra-articular injections, and countless rounds of prednisone (along with many other serious medications). All of this has been in an effort to manage inflammation, maintain activity and mobility, and relieve her pain.
Despite these efforts, Millie’s body is in crisis. She is currently unable to attend school. Walking is a struggle, fatigue is extreme, sleep is difficult, concentration is nearly impossible, and she experiences constant, agonizing full-body pain.
It has now reached a point where the "treatment" has become just as dangerous as the disease.
Unfortunately, the years of necessary steroid use have led to a second diagnosis: iatrogenic Cushing’s syndrome. High cortisol levels (the body’s stress hormone) are meant to be temporary, but Millie’s body has been flooded with them for so long that her endocrine system is now failing. Her adrenals and her pituitary gland are not functioning, her inflammation markers are dangerously out of range, and her hormones, metabolic and immune system are also severely affected.
Her family has realized that past treatments were only “quieting” the symptoms, but her body has been screaming inside. To truly address the problem, Millie needs a major shift in care. Continuing to rely on the traditional treatment will only cause further internal damage and is no longer an option. New specialists and more integrative care is now vital in order to give her body a chance to actually heal.
The heartbreaking reality is that this life changing medical care is NOT covered by insurance, making these essential treatments inaccessible without help. Everything is out-of-pocket and the costs are mounting every single week. Please consider donating or sharing Millie’s story. Millie and her family deserve to move forward without stressing over the financial burden of medical costs. Every contribution helps and will give Millie the chance to reclaim her health, her life, and give her the childhood she deserves. Anything, including prayers, means the world to her and her family. Please help us share her story. Thank you!