Solve Brooke's Medical Mystery
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This GoFundMe account is for travel and medical expenses for my amazing niece Brooke. Brooke is an 11-year old straight-A honor roll student in a beautiful remote corner of Western Montana who loves soccer, cooking shows and making colorful “bath bombs” to the delight of her young cousins. Until recently, she was contemplating whether to become a doctor or a chef, now she is wheelchair bound, spending most days laying down, fighting unbearable pain.
Brooke is a medical mystery patient and needs doctors of the highest level of expertise to figure out what’s causing her symptoms. Having endured several painful car trips to the University of Washington Children’s Hospital in Seattle, last Friday Brooke was medically evacuated from Montana to the Children’s Hospital of Colorado.
Before the Medivac flight, Brooke was rushed to her local hospital’s ER three nights in a row, vomiting to the point of gagging, unable to speak, and suffering extreme sensitivity to light, sound, and touch. Even the gentlest of touch emitted screams. Her spine and neck were in an excruciating level pain that no child should ever face. The Montana ER doctor was unable to do more than send her home with a cocktail of migraine headache drugs. My sister and brother cried and begged the doctors to transfer Brooke to Children’s Hospital of Colorado because Brooke wanted to give up, the pain was overwhelming.
If Children's Hospital of Colorado cannot present a long term solution to Brooke's medical mystery, the next step is to transport Brooke to either Boston Children's Hospital or the Mayo Clinic and pay a $5000 deposit to be seen by the Mayo Clinic doctors. This fee is difficult to imagine meeting even without the already backlogged mass of medical bills and continuing loss of family income.
A little history:
Until recently Brooke had a mostly enjoyable childhood. She has had chronic health issues since she was a toddler, including ankle/bone pain, spiky fevers and vomiting. But despite these challenges, she joined a traveling soccer team, learned to ski, and travelled whenever possible - eager to maintain relationships with her grandparents and cousins. Over the past 2-3 years, Brooke's health issues slowly began expanding to include reflux, tonsil stones, skin rashes, strep, anxiety, bloodshot eyes, migraines, food allergies and unusual night sweating.
This past April, Brooke’s health rapidly deteriorated: the above symptoms happened all at once, while she lost a sense of balance, unable to hold a pencil or a cup, her ankles locked and it became too painful to stand, and her toes became curved. She felt like her bones were crushing each other. Brooke was unable to attend the last nine weeks of school and unable to play soccer with her traveling team. She became paralyzed and unable to walk.
Brooke has seen numerous specialists yet no one has yet diagnosed Brooke’s mysterious illness or illnesses. Doctors have had little to offer other than to help her learn how to manage her pain.
With no extended family nearby, Brooke’s brave, mature, and loving 15 year older brother has stepped up to take care of Brooke and her 2 year old brother. Brooke’s father works seasonally in construction but has recently stopped working because Brooke needs 24 hour care. Until a few days ago Brooke's father took her to a pool nearly every day to exercise her muscles because Brooke is determined to walk again. Brooke’s mom, who has been successfully battling Cushings Disease, works full-time. Thankfully her employer is very supportive and allows her to work at a distance, despite the summer season being their busiest time. Yesterday, one of Brooke’s grandmothers flew out to Montana on a moment’s notice to take care of Brooke’s brothers, enabling Brooke’s parents to accompany Brooke to Children’s Hospital of Colorado. One in the medical plane, and the other on a commercial flight. It has been an amazing time of family support, but it has been at a great financial cost.
No child should have to be subjected to numerous invasive testing and depressingly inconclusive results while continuing to suffer in pain. No family should face financial ruin because of this awful process while fighting and watching their loved one suffer. Brooke’s healthcare insurance is Medicaid, which means her healthcare options are limited, such as its inability to cover the Mayo Clinic fees. This GoFundMe page has been set up for those who would like to financially contribute to Brooke’s fight and search for a diagnosis and a cure.
The hope is that this page rises to a level that will allow her family to properly focus on Brooke’s present state, paying upcoming medical expenses not covered by insurance, while reducing if not eliminating the medical debts of the last 4 months, and setting up an account for expenses during Brooke’s road to recovery.
Brooke's family thanks you so much for your support and love. Prayers and positive energy are powerful and much appreciated!
We will use this page to stay in contact, share beautiful photos and inspiring recovery stories, and will keep you updated on the amazing Brooke’s progress.
#SolveBrookeMedicalMystery
#MontanaStrong
Brooke is a medical mystery patient and needs doctors of the highest level of expertise to figure out what’s causing her symptoms. Having endured several painful car trips to the University of Washington Children’s Hospital in Seattle, last Friday Brooke was medically evacuated from Montana to the Children’s Hospital of Colorado.Before the Medivac flight, Brooke was rushed to her local hospital’s ER three nights in a row, vomiting to the point of gagging, unable to speak, and suffering extreme sensitivity to light, sound, and touch. Even the gentlest of touch emitted screams. Her spine and neck were in an excruciating level pain that no child should ever face. The Montana ER doctor was unable to do more than send her home with a cocktail of migraine headache drugs. My sister and brother cried and begged the doctors to transfer Brooke to Children’s Hospital of Colorado because Brooke wanted to give up, the pain was overwhelming.
If Children's Hospital of Colorado cannot present a long term solution to Brooke's medical mystery, the next step is to transport Brooke to either Boston Children's Hospital or the Mayo Clinic and pay a $5000 deposit to be seen by the Mayo Clinic doctors. This fee is difficult to imagine meeting even without the already backlogged mass of medical bills and continuing loss of family income.
A little history:
Until recently Brooke had a mostly enjoyable childhood. She has had chronic health issues since she was a toddler, including ankle/bone pain, spiky fevers and vomiting. But despite these challenges, she joined a traveling soccer team, learned to ski, and travelled whenever possible - eager to maintain relationships with her grandparents and cousins. Over the past 2-3 years, Brooke's health issues slowly began expanding to include reflux, tonsil stones, skin rashes, strep, anxiety, bloodshot eyes, migraines, food allergies and unusual night sweating.
This past April, Brooke’s health rapidly deteriorated: the above symptoms happened all at once, while she lost a sense of balance, unable to hold a pencil or a cup, her ankles locked and it became too painful to stand, and her toes became curved. She felt like her bones were crushing each other. Brooke was unable to attend the last nine weeks of school and unable to play soccer with her traveling team. She became paralyzed and unable to walk.
Brooke has seen numerous specialists yet no one has yet diagnosed Brooke’s mysterious illness or illnesses. Doctors have had little to offer other than to help her learn how to manage her pain.
With no extended family nearby, Brooke’s brave, mature, and loving 15 year older brother has stepped up to take care of Brooke and her 2 year old brother. Brooke’s father works seasonally in construction but has recently stopped working because Brooke needs 24 hour care. Until a few days ago Brooke's father took her to a pool nearly every day to exercise her muscles because Brooke is determined to walk again. Brooke’s mom, who has been successfully battling Cushings Disease, works full-time. Thankfully her employer is very supportive and allows her to work at a distance, despite the summer season being their busiest time. Yesterday, one of Brooke’s grandmothers flew out to Montana on a moment’s notice to take care of Brooke’s brothers, enabling Brooke’s parents to accompany Brooke to Children’s Hospital of Colorado. One in the medical plane, and the other on a commercial flight. It has been an amazing time of family support, but it has been at a great financial cost.No child should have to be subjected to numerous invasive testing and depressingly inconclusive results while continuing to suffer in pain. No family should face financial ruin because of this awful process while fighting and watching their loved one suffer. Brooke’s healthcare insurance is Medicaid, which means her healthcare options are limited, such as its inability to cover the Mayo Clinic fees. This GoFundMe page has been set up for those who would like to financially contribute to Brooke’s fight and search for a diagnosis and a cure.
The hope is that this page rises to a level that will allow her family to properly focus on Brooke’s present state, paying upcoming medical expenses not covered by insurance, while reducing if not eliminating the medical debts of the last 4 months, and setting up an account for expenses during Brooke’s road to recovery. Brooke's family thanks you so much for your support and love. Prayers and positive energy are powerful and much appreciated!We will use this page to stay in contact, share beautiful photos and inspiring recovery stories, and will keep you updated on the amazing Brooke’s progress.
#SolveBrookeMedicalMystery
#MontanaStrong
Organizer and beneficiary
Allie R
Organizer
Whitefish, MT
Elizabeth Winckler
Beneficiary
