Hello, my name is Josh, I am reaching out on behalf of my sister Nikki or as some know her, Nikayla. We hate to be in this position again to ask but we need any support we can get at this time.

Nikki is an incredibly strong mom of two boys who's been fighting an incredibly rare neurological condition called Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH), also known as Psuedotumor Cerebri which means False Brain Tumor. This illness is painful and exhausting, causing dangerously high pressure in the brain, migraines, permanent vision loss, swelling of the brain and many other debilitating side affects.

Recently; after months of worsening flare ups, the doctors have now determined that she needs immediate brain surgery to place a shunt that will help relieve the pressure and hopefully save her vision. This surgery will help her get back on track to a relatively normal life. The doctors are concerned that without this surgery Nikki will suffer permanent vision damage and the decision to move quickly was made for that exact reason.

Nikki has been pushing through this while working as much as she possibly can, trying live her life doing everything the doctors tell her but there has been no relief or positive changes over the past few months. This flare up has caused her to miss multiple days of work over the last few months and with this surgery coming up she will have to miss at least two weeks of work for recovery, making it impossible to keep up with rent and essential bills without help.

Before the surgery she also has to make a trip to Bozeman this coming week for a mandatory second opinion. Insurance has made this even more difficult for her by denying her the ability to see specialists out of state and requiring her to jump through many hoops and waiting periods. This has left her with very limited options. Despite all this she has been doing all she can to stay strong for her two boys and making the best medical decisions she possibly can.

We are asking for help to cover: rent and basic bills during recovery, travel expenses for the required second opinion in Bozeman and any unexpected medical expenses not covered by insurance.

Every dollar truly helps right now, if you can give anything or even just share this to others who might be able to help it would mean the world to us. Thank you so much for reading this and supporting my sister in this incredibly hard time. None of us including her are prone to asking for help, especially again through this unbearable time of ups and downs with this disease but we appreciate every single one of you.

Prayers for guidance during this rough time are also so very much appreciated.

With love and gratitude from Nikki's family.