Becky's Fight Song - Against NMO

This is the story of a fighter. She is a fiercely loyal friend, wickedly sardonic, hilariously funny, a music lover & musician, an artist and a soulful mama bear. Anyone who knows Becky knows that you have a friend for life when you have her as a friend. What we are all unwilling to admit is that life has an expiration date and it appears Becky's is coming up faster than anyone wants or expects. On July 25, 2023, Becky wrote this on her Facebook page:

"Hey, gang. Been awhile. I'm jumping back on temporarily to share a bit of news: I'm dying. Kinda cool, really. I always thought I was one in a million. Turns out, I'm one of four in a million. Close enough for hand grenades, amirite? I have an exceedingly rare autoimmune disease (neuromyelitis optica) to which I will succumb in 3-5 years. I will lose the function of my body, starting already with my eyes and legs, and eventually, will just stop breathing.

You may think I'm in denial due to my levity, but truly, I'm 100% accepting of my coming demise. I feel so incredibly fortunate that I know it's coming, and can plan accordingly. I've already decided to have my funeral before my death. (I'm calling it my FUNNERAL!) You're all invited to come and share stories of how our lives may have touched one another. Good food, undoubtedly hilarious tales of yesteryear, and Kerry Walsh Hanneman has agreed to play DJ. We've begun making the FUNNERAL PLAYLIST already!

The only thing I ask is that you all do what you can to show support for the loves of my life: Vincent and Millie. They're gonna need a little help. Please reach out if you think you're in a position to provide any. It's been a crazy ride, this life. And I'm bursting with gratitude for all of it; that includes all of you. Thanks for the memories, friends. I love you all."

The good news is that THIS is not the end of Becky's story. On July 26th, one day after her somber post, she discovered that an autoimmune specialist (with experience dealing with NMO,) works just 40 minutes away from her home. She will have to spend 10-14 days in the hospital for the treatments and observation but there is a lot of hope. Becky could regain most/if not all of her left eyesight back and other symptoms could be halted from progressing further. This is HUGE!

But, even hope comes at a cost. This treatment, while recently approved by the FDA, is not covered by most insurance carriers and will be out of pocket. So, for now, this will be on Becky and her family. Please consider funding this campaign to give Becky, Vincent and Millie a really strong chance at fighting this and giving them some more precious, quality years together. This treatment will not cure her, but it will slow down the progression of this nasty disease. Thank you for reading their story.