Help for Helena & Emilia!

Dear family, friends and acquaintances,

For anyone reading who doesn't know me, I am Chad Keilen's cousin and I've set up this page on his family's behalf (and only after I twisted his arm) in an effort to help them raise funds for their two beautiful daughters, Helena and Emilia (ages 10 and 8).  Chad and his wife Rut also have two sons, Thor and baby Stefan, all residing in Iceland.

Both Helena and Emilia have a suspected, yet undiagnosed mitochondrial disease.  The disease leaves both of them 100% dependent on others for every need.  The girls lack all motor skills and the strength to support the weight of their own heads.  In addition to the characteristics of the disease itself, the girls suffer from a myriad of other symptoms, including seizures, lack of sleep and a weakened immune system, which has resulted in frequent and extended hospital stays.  Helena suffers from over 100 seizures a day.

The Keilen family is headed back to the United States where they are seeking medical treatment unavailable to the girls in Iceland that can hopefully improve their quality of life and provide some relief for the pain they endure on a daily basis.

The cost of traveling overseas will be extraordinary and challenging.  After airfare and trying to find housing near a medical facility where they can take the girls, they will also need to rent a vehicle large enough for the family and for two wheelchairs.  With the girls' debilitating condition, traveling will be difficult.  As the girls get older, the disease continues to deteriorate their condition.  This may be the family's last opportunity to travel to the U.S. and get the medical care necessary to afford Helena and Emilia the most basic quality of life.

Please help support the Keilen family and ease some of Helena and Emilia's daily struggles.  I am setting a goal of $25,000.00 and asking each and every one of you to make a donation (single or recurring).   Let's see what we can all do to help by the end of this year.  I'm optimistic and hopeful that we can crush this goal as I suspect the financial burden far outweighs it.  No donation is too small.  Every little bit matters as well as helping to spread the word. 

Love and THANK YOU to all,

Camie

P.S. IMPORTANT:  To maximize dollars going to the Keilen family, please CLICK HERE  to make a donation via PayPal.  This will ensure that every penny goes to Helena and Emilia.  I will update this site regularly as PayPal donations are made to reflect "offline" (PayPal) progress towards the end goal.  If you would like your donation to be anonymous, please indicate that via PayPal comments and I will withhold your name over here.  Comments and words of encouragement and support are welcome here or via PayPal (I'll transfer them over).  Thanks!