Help Ashwathi with ALS related expenses

I am organizing this fundraiser on behalf of my friend Ashwathi Subramanian and her family -to help lessen the financial burden they face due to Ashwathi’s recent diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease).

Ashwathi’s brother Kartik says - It is with very heavy heart we have come to this point to create GoFundMe to support Ashwathi’s Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) battle. This year has been one of the most difficult times the family is facing since the start of her symptoms in the year 2015. She has been diagnosed with genetic form of ALS in May 2022.

ALS, also commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. There is currently no cure for ALS, just treatments that may allow for a more comfortable life.

Ashwathi was very energetic and lively person. She loved traveling and exploring new places with family and friends. She is passionate about dance and trained in different styles. She is a very creative person enjoyed painting , doodling and pottery. At the age of 26, in 2015, she was looking forward towards a promising career in finance and having hopes of fulfilling her dreams. But her life took a turn for the worse when she started having muscle spasm which did not get better with rest or medicine and finally had to leave her job. She consulted many medical experts form different fields but all ended up misdiagnosing her. None of the doctors could diagnose the exact cause of her progressive neurological condition. She was misdiagnosed as having Stiff person Syndrome, which is a rare progressive neurological condition but not fatal. But the start of this year when her condition worsened with severe muscle weakness and weight loss, doctors re-examined her condition and confirmed it as ALS. This diagnosis came as shock to her family and friends as it means that she has limited time left with her loved ones.

Currently she is bedridden with limited muscle movement and severe muscle wasting. Since a month her breathing has become shallow due to her lungs failing as part of progression of the disease. Because of this she is barely able to eat or drink and that is causing even more weakness.

The medical odyssey of misdiagnosis from the year 2015 to the diagnosis of ALS this year in 2022 has burdened her and family with financial liabilities. Medical Insurance has never covered any of the bills all these years from doctor’s fees, uncountable battery of tests, medical aids etc because of the neurological condition being undiagnosed and will also not support her further due to ALS. Until this year she was able to take care most of the expenses through the support of her family and friends but now the entire family is cash trapped and unable to repay bank obligations or support her ALS life management expenses.

The funds we are raising here will go towards ongoing and future expenses of Ashwathi. The expenses of ALS is substantial as there is constant need of several equipment such as motorized wheelchair, adjustable bed , oxygen requirements , Bathroom/Home modifications etc to help her live at the comfort of her home environment. We hope through your generosity with this GoFundMe Campaign, Ashwathi and her family can feel a bit at ease with the financial aspect and will allow the family some breathing space to stay focused on managing her health and cherish every moment they have together.