Former EMT diagnosed with IIH needs Brain Surgery

Hi, my name is Dave I'm fundraising for Katie Souza. Katie is a former EMT who had to stop working because she got sick with IIH- Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension, 5 1/2 years ago. IIH is a rare brain disorder that affects about 1 in every 100,000 people. It is a condition where there is excess cerebrospinal fluid on the brain that causes increased pressure on the brain and optic nerve causing it to swell. The swelling of the optic nerve can cause loss of peripheral vision and the increased pressure causes severe headaches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), loss of coordination, temporary blindness, even stroke like symptoms. People require medicine and constant lumbar punctures to check their fluid levels and to adjust their medications based on symptoms. Worse case they require brain surgery to place a shunt to carry the fluid away from the brain.

Katie is a 33 year old mother of 4 beautiful children one of which has Autism. She is also a stroke survivor. Her husband is her full-time caretaker and unable to work due to her care and the care of their two children. Katie has been fighting every day for the past 5 1/5 years with excruciating head pain. There are many days that she is unable to get out of bed. She has missed out on a lot when it comes to her life, her family, her friends. She had to give up on a career that she loved- helping people. She has lost her peripheral vision. She has gone for over 20 lumbar punctures to figure out her fluid levels and to try to get her medication to help. But recent lumbar punctures show that the medication has stopped working. Doctor's say the next step is brain surgery to put in a ventriculoperitoneal shunt, to drain the excess fluid from her brain to her abdominal cavity. She is having surgery on March 11th and we all hope and pray that it goes well and works.

I am hoping to see if we can get her and her husband some financial help with medical bills, existing bills, food, clothes for the children. Anthing that will help to take the financial burden off their shoulders. They have been going through a lot for the last 5 1/2 years and they really need some help. Anything would be greatly appreciated and I know that they would be so thankful.