The Gagliano Family for Evelyn Faith

Hi all, my name is Mary Martin. I am a close friend of the Gagliano family and I am hoping you will find it in your hearts to help out this wonderful family in their time of need. Multiple people have reached out to me asking how they can help and I thought this would be the easiest way!! They are looking at multiple trips to Boston for surgical procedures for their beautiful little girl Evelyn as she battles a very painful, chronic issue that is explained below in the words of her mother. Evelyn has been living in chronic, debilitating pain. She has already endured hospital stays for blood clots, infection, and has needed MRI’s which for a 3 year old, requires sedation and intubation. Due to Evelyn’s changing health status, it has become necessary for her mother Lindsey to take a leave of absence from work, unfortunately unpaid. Any donation, big or small is greatly appreciated!! All donations will be used for travel expenses and medical bills.

Lindsey’s description of Evelyn’s condition:

AVMs are abnormal connections of arteries and veins. VMs are where the vein developed abnormally and will stretch and enlarge over time. They are extremely painful and sensitive, and can occur anywhere in the body. They do not go away on their own and require ongoing treatment to prevent risk of growth, bleeding/rupture, clotting, and possible high cardiac output congestive failure. Treatment does not always work. Growth spurts, puberty, and hormone fluctuation (i.e. menstrual cycles and pregnancy) can cause them to enlarge and grow.

Evelyn has VMs from her left shoulder to her wrist, most are within the muscles-specifically her tricep and forearm, and then she has some subcutaneously (the ones you can see). She has AVMs in her left hand and thumb, which will fluctuate in size depending on her heart rate.

The hope is that the right doctors can help control them-not only to mitigate the pain that she is in and ensure that she stays healthy, but so that hopefully they grow proportionally with her body. She will never not have them. There is no “cure.” She has a lifetime worth of battles to fight in front of her: from the many procedures and surgeries she will have, to the obstacles she will face as she matures and some day may want to have children, to the inevitable stares and remarks she will get from other people. Hard doesn’t even begin to describe having to watch my sweet, innocent, baby girl, who doesn’t understand why she is experiencing intense and debilitating pain, literally fall apart in front of me. I will never get this time back, and I need to make it my priority to get her better.