Help Danica control her POTS Disease

My sister Danica came down with a debilitating disease while teaching English in China when she was 19.  The illness affected her ability to digest food and she was unable to eat.  It got to the point she couldn’t walk on her own, and the circumstances required an emergency flight.  This marked the start of a 13 year battle with a seemingly undiagnosable chronic disease.  It left her extremely weak, unable to move without pain, and constant stomach problems. She visited nearly 2 dozen doctors in multiple states, including a month’s stay at the Mayo clinic in Minnesota, but no one she saw could figure out what was wrong or how to help. 

About a year ago, in desperation, she went to a Pediatric doctor specializing in heart issues and he successfully diagnosed her with a rare disease called POTS.  This was a bittersweet moment for our family, since a diagnosis is essential to fighting any disease, however POTS is a nasty prognosis. Basically it is a condition where the body locks into “Flight or Fight” mode permanently.  It causes a constantly elevated heart rate (110 resting) while her muscles remain tense, causing severe fatigue. At the same time, the stomach contracts causing pain and limited digestion.  As far as we know, there isn’t a way to permanently cure POTS. 

Her current doctor suggested the nation’s only POTS treatment center in Texas.  They will try to help her take control of the symptoms. It is a $6,000, 2 week, in-patient session not covered by insurance not to mention the travel costs. The treatment center will hopefully teach her to control her body so she can do normal activities, like standing up, going grocery shopping, or walking without having to lay down after a few brief moments. Danica is married, with 4 energetic children (ages 8 and under), with a foreign exchange student.  To make matters worse, her husband Dave was literally hit by a bus in a near-fatal accident a year ago and was left with a serious leg injury and PTSD. 

The Danica I grew up with was outgoing, energetic, and fun-loving but now she is a shadow of who she once was and can barely take care of her family. I love my sister more than words can express and want to help out any way I can. Please consider donating in order to ease some of the burden off Danica and her family. Thanks!!!