Hello, my name is Raven Andrews, and I would like to share my story about being a 24-year-old mom with a paralyzing disease.

In early September of 2024, I started to experience some severe stomach pains. The pain increased beyond what I experienced in childbirth. Ryan, my fiancé, took me to multiple hospitals and doctors to try to find the cause of the pain. By the second week of September, I could no longer walk.

I progressively got worse over the course of September. The pain was so bad that I started to hallucinate and could no longer sleep.

At the beginning of October, we thought enough was enough and needed to continue to look for answers. Finally, after going to Wooster Community Hospital, we found an ER that would take on the task of finding out what was going on in my body.

After a month of agony, we got some answers. We found out that I've been living with a very rare but treatable genetic disease called Acute Intermittent Porphyria. This is something that my family has passed down through generations. It finally decided that it was time for someone to feel its wrath in my family through me.

At this point in October, I was completely paralyzed. I was transferred to Cleveland University Hospital. This is where I got tested and diagnosed with Porphyria. Over the course of the next 4 months, we have been in and out of the hospital in Cleveland and nursing homes to try to get better and rebuild my strength.

With being down and out for so long, it has taken a major toll on my body and on my mental health. I had a 4-year-old at home that I couldn't see daily nor be able to care for properly.

This disease has brought up new life challenges that my family and home aren’t fully equipped for. I will now be wheelchair-bound for a while and will eventually need to learn to walk again. I'll have to learn how to use my hands again as well.

We are asking for your generosity and support to help us meet these challenges that we’re now facing.