Medical Treatment For More Tomorrows For Aubrey!

Hi Friends, ( ones we met and ones we haven't met yet)

My name is Csilla Leonard and I am organizing this fundraiser for one of the most wonderful souls I have ever met ( and trust me I have traveled the world), Aubrey Knudtson.

I met Aubrey while she was looking for a Family photographer to capture her 'last Christmas' on this Earth. (Thankfully that didn't turn out to be the case). I instantly connected with her story and was honored to capture her memories with the family she loves so much. Little did we know, our story continued and we became close Friends, and her courage, selflessness and kind and giving heart inspires me every day.

While being on hospice care, she never gave up (and still doesn't) and actually organizes fundraisers for OTHERS, not herself ( ie: Flap Jack Fundraiser for Change Starts Now! that provided Christmas in July to local nursing homes, a local foster care organization, and the homeless).

She has been denied by MANY MANY health care providers and has been told 'there is nothing else to do' more times than any 20-year-old should ever hear and yet I have never once heard her complain or utter a negative word.

Now, she has found a treatment in Texas that can help her tremendously, but of course, it comes with a financial commitment. Please, contribute to this fundraiser to help her get this treatment she so desperately needs with as little or as much as you can.

Thank You all so very much! Csilla

Here are the details of Aubrey's condition and her story in her own words:

"Hello! My name is Aubrey Knudtson, I am 20 years old, and I have many rare diseases that leave me constantly fighting for my life.

Every new day is a blessing, even those of which that are often spent in bed at home or in the hospital. It has been almost 2 years now since I was given the prognosis of 30 days (about 4 and a half weeks), but my body continues to defy all odds.

The amount that I have overcome is surreal but here I am despite it all, living life to its fullest. I have more than a dozen specialists here in Colorado and they are all at a loss for what to do. I have hope that there is a life outside those 4 hospital room walls waiting for me, and I refuse to stop fighting for it despite what doctors say.

Part of my everyday battles includes but is not limited to, starving to death due to my stomach and intestines failing. I am dependent on IV nutrition through my heart, but that unfortunately is costing me my life even though it's saving it at the same time. It has left me with blood clots throughout my body including in both lungs almost taking my life, it has caused bloodstream infections called septic shock more times than I can count on both hands and that is also very deadly, and so much more.

TPN is not a safe option for me. It keeps me alive but risks my life every waking moment and steals my quality of life. I NEED nutrition and I need it NOW.

There is a clinic in Temple, Texas that focuses on getting people off of TPN (IV nutrition) and onto tube feeds through the feeding tube in my stomach. There is a whole team dedicated to doing exactly what I need.

I haven't been there yet but they're already healing my soul by giving me hope and I know that if given the chance, they can do so much more than just give me hope but make my hopes a reality.

My insurance doesn't cover out-of-state, and they definitely do not cover travel fees and everything else that comes with this journey. So, I am once again asking for your help to rally together and help fund my trip to Texas in hopes that I can get my life back because I so desperately grieve everything that once was, and I have seen the miracles that are possible.

The battles that I have survived are nothing short of a miracle and it has taught me that I have a purpose and need to keep fighting because I know that my body can beat all the odds as long as I keep persevering.

I recently started college with the hopes of majoring in sociology and minoring in early childhood development so that I can someday work in the foster care system. I have a family that means the world to me, and I love spending time with them. I also started a nonprofit organization to help make the world a better place and have huge hopes for it.

I have a whole life ahead of me with so many dreams and hopes, and I would love for the opportunity to see them through. Together we can do this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I promise that I am grateful for you and your support beyond what you can imagine.

Love,

Aubrey <3 "