Help Melissa Beat MS
Donation protected
My daughter, Melissa Ogle, was in her first year of college(2003) when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis(MS). This disease came on abruptly, with a vengeance, and affected her eye sight for several months. We were unsure if it would come back.
As a baffled and confused mother, I began to discover what the devastating MS truly was and struggled to accept that this was the new reality for my daughter. Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Sclerosis means scarring or hardening of tiny patches of tissue around the nerves, destroying the capability to transmit the electrical signals. 'Multiple' is added because this happens at more than one place in the brain and/or spinal cord especially over a period of time. The damage to nerves seems to be due to the immune system mistakenly attacking the nerve coating which is made of a fatty protein called myelin. The damage to the myelin causes lesions on the brain. It is an autoimmune disease so my daughter’s body is basically attacking itself.
Looking at my daughter, you would never know she has the disease, especially since the smile she wears is one of helping others and putting others first whenever she can (and when she can't). As a Psychology major she has the gift of counseling others, and living in constant pain for 13 years has not stopped her from being a listening ear or a shoulder to lean on. She persevered and pushed to get her Bachelor’s degree while having relapses and having to take time off because of the various complications that she faced.
Having MS has made it much more difficult to do what she loves and what she believes God has called her to do with her life. She has been unable to work since 2010, but has still tried to volunteer and help underprivileged children and families as much as she can. This is one of her passions and she has been unable to help others because of her disabilities. Melissa has also had to miss many birthdays, weddings, family functions, and various other activities because of this disease and being in pain constantly. Even something as little as heat can affect her majorly, i.e. if she gets too hot she will start seeing double and become weak. If she has a busy day one day she is unable to do anything for a couple of days while she recuperates. She lives in pain daily and suffers from fatigue, numbness, vertigo, and various other symptoms.
Currently, in 2016, my daughter’s health is slowly starting to fade and become worse. After 13 years of doctors and dozens of medications, my daughter’s weak immune system can no longer handle these MS medications. The continuous build up of lesions is taking its toll on her body. Using her last bit of hope, she finally has found a doctor in Chicago at NorthWestern Memorial Hospital and a treatment that may be a solution, but cannot afford it. Therefore in order to get her the care she needs, I need your help. God is still in the miracle business and the doctors in Chicago are part of the ongoing miracle for those suffering with MS by giving hope, health and life with HSCT. HSCT uses chemo to kill your immune system and then introduces stem cells back into you to restart your immune system. The following video will explain this miracle in more detail. https://vimeo.com/130065935
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions! She will travel to Chicago numerous times and will have to reside there for 2-3 months while going through the actual transplant. As I am sure you can imagine this can be very costly between the traveling expenses, medications, doctor’s appointments, co-pays, hotel stays etc.
Please be in prayer with me, agreeing that everything will go according to God's plan for Melissa! She is very excited for the possibilities ahead of her and getting her quality of life back. I know God is in control and want more than anything to give Him the glory! The least I can do is help her raise the money she needs to get the medical attention that can be life changing for her. So I ask you, to donate, spread the word, and most of all PRAY for her. Thank you for being a part of Melissa’s miracle and may God’s blessings be abundant in your life!
As a baffled and confused mother, I began to discover what the devastating MS truly was and struggled to accept that this was the new reality for my daughter. Multiple Sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Sclerosis means scarring or hardening of tiny patches of tissue around the nerves, destroying the capability to transmit the electrical signals. 'Multiple' is added because this happens at more than one place in the brain and/or spinal cord especially over a period of time. The damage to nerves seems to be due to the immune system mistakenly attacking the nerve coating which is made of a fatty protein called myelin. The damage to the myelin causes lesions on the brain. It is an autoimmune disease so my daughter’s body is basically attacking itself.
Looking at my daughter, you would never know she has the disease, especially since the smile she wears is one of helping others and putting others first whenever she can (and when she can't). As a Psychology major she has the gift of counseling others, and living in constant pain for 13 years has not stopped her from being a listening ear or a shoulder to lean on. She persevered and pushed to get her Bachelor’s degree while having relapses and having to take time off because of the various complications that she faced.
Having MS has made it much more difficult to do what she loves and what she believes God has called her to do with her life. She has been unable to work since 2010, but has still tried to volunteer and help underprivileged children and families as much as she can. This is one of her passions and she has been unable to help others because of her disabilities. Melissa has also had to miss many birthdays, weddings, family functions, and various other activities because of this disease and being in pain constantly. Even something as little as heat can affect her majorly, i.e. if she gets too hot she will start seeing double and become weak. If she has a busy day one day she is unable to do anything for a couple of days while she recuperates. She lives in pain daily and suffers from fatigue, numbness, vertigo, and various other symptoms.
Currently, in 2016, my daughter’s health is slowly starting to fade and become worse. After 13 years of doctors and dozens of medications, my daughter’s weak immune system can no longer handle these MS medications. The continuous build up of lesions is taking its toll on her body. Using her last bit of hope, she finally has found a doctor in Chicago at NorthWestern Memorial Hospital and a treatment that may be a solution, but cannot afford it. Therefore in order to get her the care she needs, I need your help. God is still in the miracle business and the doctors in Chicago are part of the ongoing miracle for those suffering with MS by giving hope, health and life with HSCT. HSCT uses chemo to kill your immune system and then introduces stem cells back into you to restart your immune system. The following video will explain this miracle in more detail. https://vimeo.com/130065935
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions! She will travel to Chicago numerous times and will have to reside there for 2-3 months while going through the actual transplant. As I am sure you can imagine this can be very costly between the traveling expenses, medications, doctor’s appointments, co-pays, hotel stays etc.
Please be in prayer with me, agreeing that everything will go according to God's plan for Melissa! She is very excited for the possibilities ahead of her and getting her quality of life back. I know God is in control and want more than anything to give Him the glory! The least I can do is help her raise the money she needs to get the medical attention that can be life changing for her. So I ask you, to donate, spread the word, and most of all PRAY for her. Thank you for being a part of Melissa’s miracle and may God’s blessings be abundant in your life!
Organizer
Teresa Burns
Organizer
Myrtle Beach, SC
