Bioness for Alethea (see video⬇️)

I am Alethea's mom.  We found out that she had Multiple Sclerosis in January of 2005.  At that time she was a young 24 year old, energetic, busy mother of two happy little boys.  Malachi who was 4 1/2 and Josiah who was 20 months old.   At first the symptoms were very random and came in the form of flare ups that caused severe headaches and numbness of her extremities.  The flare ups would affect her vision and speech.  She was hospitalized during one that was so severe that she could not walk without a walker and she could not speak.  She was in the hospital for 10 days on steroids to help calm the inflammation of her brain.  

These flare ups cause damage to the covering of the nerves in her brain.  It is like taking the insulation off of a wire.  So the nerves in the affected areas are exposed to the fluids in the brain, and this causes damage to them.  

So we move forward to today.  Alethea is now unable to move her right foot and knee.  She is also unable to use her right hand as well as she used to.  She has a condition called "foot drop".  When she takes a step, her foot will not lift.  She has been wearing a brace on that leg for the last year and a half.  This brace is causing muscle atrophy of her lower leg. 

Her Physical therapist at OHSU introduced us to an amazing device called a Bioness.  This is an electrical nerve stimulating device that causes the nerves in her leg to move her foot and her knee!!!!  This device trains her brain to even find new pathways to her leg muscle nerves, it causes the muscles to be used so that the atrophy stops and allows her ankle to move instead of being immobilized in the brace.  It is amazing!

She has Medicare insurance and this will not cover the cost of the device.  We are asking if you can give to help her be able to get into this Bioness.  

Would you you be willing to donate to this beautiful woman and her family, which now consists of her hard working husband Kyle, sons Malachi 15, Josiah 12, and daughter Kennedy Jean 6.

We would love to see Alethea walking on her own as soon as possible.  All of the paperwork has been submitted and all she needs are the funds. This means so much to us.  She has a lot of life to live, and a young family to care for.  It will be so wonderful to see her be able to move about with more ease and to assist her body in a healing process that will be encouraged by the Bioness.  

We are so thankful to you, our friends and pray that you will be blessed as you consider how you can help Alethea.  God Bless You all!