Karen's Autoimmune Medical Fund
Donation protected
Our ten-year-old daughter, Karen, was diagnosed suddenly last week with type 1 diabetes. We took her to the emergency room after a week of flu-like symptoms we thought could have been an auto-immune flare related to her celiac disease, but a diagnois of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) took her to Children's Hospital and a week-long stay to get her blood sugar levels figured out. While it's common for a person with one auto-immune disease to develop another one, we don't have diabetes in the family so this diagnosis came as a shock.
“Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious condition that can lead to diabetic coma sleep-like state in which a person is not conscious. May be caused by hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) or hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) in people with diabetes. Symptoms can lead to passing out for a long time or even death.” -American Diabetes Association
"When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body." -Celiac Disease Foundation
Karen is on a strict gluten-free diet as a result.
We have Indiana MedicAid pending after a renewal was denied on a clerical error. We're hoping the emergency room visit, ambulance ride to Children's, hospital stay, and inital $1000 pharmacy supplies will be covered when MedicAid is reinstated, but if not, we will need help with the medical expenses. Karen's dad works full time and just started a graduate degree program and her mom works in a local elementary school as a part-time reading aide. Any funds raised will go towards covering the hospital expenses and supplies; if MedicAid covers them, funds will be used for supplies and possibly for purchasing an insulin pump to avoid having to perform multiple insulin injections each day. Funds will also be used to purchase the more expensive gluten-free food she requires for her celiac disease.
Karen is doing much better and her personality is returning. We heard her laugh today and realized it had been a long time since we had heard that. She's taking the diagnosis greatly in-stride; it helps she's had five years of dealing with celiac disease, but it's a lot for a little girl to have to handle. Traditionally, donated meals are a great and appreciated way for others to show they care and to help, but the combination of her celiac disease and the type 1 diabetes doesn't allow that as an option as we have to be sure her food is gluten free and we have to know exactly the carb count of her serving of homemade food to be able to dose her correctly. So right now, if you would like to give a little to this fund, that would really help. You may also email notes of encouragement to Karen @ [email redacted]
“Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious condition that can lead to diabetic coma sleep-like state in which a person is not conscious. May be caused by hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) or hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) in people with diabetes. Symptoms can lead to passing out for a long time or even death.” -American Diabetes Association
"When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi get damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body." -Celiac Disease Foundation
Karen is on a strict gluten-free diet as a result.
We have Indiana MedicAid pending after a renewal was denied on a clerical error. We're hoping the emergency room visit, ambulance ride to Children's, hospital stay, and inital $1000 pharmacy supplies will be covered when MedicAid is reinstated, but if not, we will need help with the medical expenses. Karen's dad works full time and just started a graduate degree program and her mom works in a local elementary school as a part-time reading aide. Any funds raised will go towards covering the hospital expenses and supplies; if MedicAid covers them, funds will be used for supplies and possibly for purchasing an insulin pump to avoid having to perform multiple insulin injections each day. Funds will also be used to purchase the more expensive gluten-free food she requires for her celiac disease.
Karen is doing much better and her personality is returning. We heard her laugh today and realized it had been a long time since we had heard that. She's taking the diagnosis greatly in-stride; it helps she's had five years of dealing with celiac disease, but it's a lot for a little girl to have to handle. Traditionally, donated meals are a great and appreciated way for others to show they care and to help, but the combination of her celiac disease and the type 1 diabetes doesn't allow that as an option as we have to be sure her food is gluten free and we have to know exactly the carb count of her serving of homemade food to be able to dose her correctly. So right now, if you would like to give a little to this fund, that would really help. You may also email notes of encouragement to Karen @ [email redacted]
Organizer
Megan Scott Chapman
Organizer
New Albany, IN
