She Was 17-Years-Old When She Had A Stroke And It Turns Out That She Has A Rare Disorder
A teenager is suffering from a rare disorder that has been deeply affecting her lifestyle. Now, her friends and family are seeking help to raise money for a surgery that could change her life.
A young woman named Kelsey presented signs of a stroke at only 17-years-old. When she was taken to the doctor, a series of tests and scans revealed that she had suffered from as many as 4 previous strokes in the years before.
After noting this strange finding in her medical records, Kelsey was diagnosed with Moyamoya. You may have never heard of it because it is a very rare disorder.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH), Moyamoya disease is caused by blocked arteries at the base of the brain.
On the NIH website, it says, “The name ‘moyamoya’ means ‘puff of smoke’ in Japanese and describes the look of the tangle of tiny vessels formed to compensate for the blockage.”
Those who suffer from Moyamoya have to deal with a variety of awful symptoms, including headaches, seizures, involuntary movements, vision issues, cognition impairment, etc.
Trying to imagine dealing with Moyamoya seems unfathomable, but for Kelsey, it is her new reality. Over the past 2.5 years, she has had countless doctor appointments, scans, and two surgeries. She is suffering from twitching in her limbs, weakness, numbness, and severe headaches.
The surgeries were supposed to re-route her blood supply, but unfortunately, they were not very successful.
GoFundMe; pictured above is Kelsey
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Now, Kelsey runs the risk of suffering additional brain damage if she doesn’t have a more successful procedure.
There is a medical professional who may be able to help Kelsey, but it would be a very costly process.
Kelsey’s friends and family have started a GoFundMe so that she can see Dr. Steinberg at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, California.
Dr. Steinberg is an expert when it comes to Moyamoya and has performed over 2,000 procedures that help restore blood flow.
Dr. Steinberg feels that Kelsey is a great candidate and that they need to act soon. She could have additional strokes that would only continue to deteriorate her health if she didn’t get the surgery. The doctor recommends that Kelsey gets to California in a matter of weeks.
Kelsey’s family is in need of help to afford the trip. Travel accommodations for the procedure are not covered by insurance and will cost a pretty penny.
“If you feel in your heart inclined to help Kelsey and her family and take some of the financial stress off of an already very scary and stressful situation, we are asking for donations to help cover travel, medical, and care expenses for Kelsey and her upcoming surgery,” writes Katie Barnes on Kelsey’s GoFundMe page.
To read more about Kelsey’s story, visit the link here.
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