Hi, my name is Rylee, I am 23 years old. I really never thought I’d have to do this but for the past four years, I’ve been fighting a disease that doctors have not been able to cure. I was diagnosed with a prodigious pressure in my brain, which has required multiple operations and surgeries. On top of that, I tested positive for West Nile virus, which, combined with everything else, has caused my optic nerves and brain to swell. This swelling is also affecting my arteries, making stents unfeasible and limiting treatment options even further. There is only so much that a human body can tolerate, let alone at once. These things take time to see if there’s any advancement. It’s been nothing short of disappointing and disheartening.

What began as hope for answers has turned into years of treatments, clinical trials, and countless appointments—none of which have provided a lasting solution. Often, I feel like a guinea pig, trying treatments that aren’t guaranteed to work, while they take an immense toll on my body and drain both my finances and my will to keep going.

Because we still haven’t found a treatment or trial that truly works, I’m required to travel every two months to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, staying for about a week at a time. These trips are essential in continuing the search for answers, but they come with significant costs for travel, lodging, food, and time away from home.

Much of my care is trial-based, which means extremely expensive copays and out-of-pocket costs that insurance doesn’t fully cover. Even while participating in trials, the financial, emotional, and physical burden continues to grow with each appointment, test, and medication.

Most 23 year olds are struggling financially from pursuing their dreams and building their life for their future. 23, for me, looks like continuous appointments I can no longer afford and desperate to find the means that help me get through “one more day”. Despite everything, I am still fighting. I’m not giving up. I’ve reached a point where I can’t continue to stand alone. I believe that support in this journey is vital because it means I have another reason to keep pushing through.

The funds raised will help cover ongoing medical care, repeated travel to Mayo Clinic, costly trial-related copays, and basic living expenses while I continue searching for answers. Any donation, no matter the size, truly makes a difference. If you’re unable to donate, sharing this fundraiser means more than you know.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and thank you for standing with me during one of the hardest chapters of my life.