Support for my sister.

Hi my name is Nimrod Taveras and I am writing to ask for support for my sister Leonora Taveras. Leonora has two children: Joseph 10, and Sofia 2. Leonora is a great sister, wife, mom, daughter and friend. She is also an excellent anesthesiologist. When she was 40 yrs. old, she suffered the loss of a pregnancy and shortly after she conceived again however, she also started showing symptoms of a terrible disorder that has taken over her life. During her entire pregnancy she had frequent involuntary body movements that increased with time. She was able to have her baby girl however, she has not been able to care for her. It’s been 3 years since, and she has not been able to take care of her kids, forcing her to leave her career and life plans. It is heartbreaking to see her kids suffering because even though they see her, she cannot play around and be as affectionate as she was before due to her physical limitations. Leonora has been suffering emotionally as well because she has not been able to attend to their needs as she would like to.

It has been very difficult for our family seeing her suffer emotionally and physically without knowing the cause of it, and not being able to provide her with a treatment or cure. We have been trying to find answers in order to help my sister, since this disorder is not as common however, after 3 years searching for an answer, going through different types of very costly medical testing, we were able to get the correct diagnosis; Dystonia. Dystonia is a movement disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions that cause slow repetitive movements or abnormal postures. The movements may be painful, and they may cause individuals to have a tremor or other neurological symptoms. This disorder interferes with daily tasks and currently my sister is no longer independent. She needs assistance to do her daily living activities such as getting dress, eating, bathing etc. Her life changed completely without expecting it and that also affected her mental health because she is conscious and aware of the changes in her body, and she knows she can’t take care of her loved ones like she used to do. Now that we have a diagnosis, we have been desperately trying to search for treatments in order to help my sister have a better quality of life at this time however, in our country, The Dominican Republic, the doctors basically gave up and informed us that there is nothing else they can do over there. We have been doing our own research and found a hospital here in the United States, that have experience working with people with this disorder, and they have more information about treatments and therapy that can improve the quality of life of individuals suffering from this disorder. It’s overwhelming seeing a young woman with two kids that need her attention and care, not being able to care for her kids and not knowing if her condition will get better. She wants to get better and be able to take care of her family therefore, I decided to create this page in order to cover travel and medical expenses since my sister does not have international health insurance. We know the treatments are going to be costly however, I’m hoping and praying that with your help we can get started. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my sister’s story and for considering donating to this cause..