Medical/Transportation Expenses for Clara Tally
Hello friends and colleagues. This smiling little girl on the right is Clara (with her older brother and sister). Today, December 22nd, is Clara's 2nd birthday. Clara is the youngest child of a close friend of mine from high school.
On the surface, she is a beautiful, active, caring, and adventurous toddler who loves playing with her brother and sister and exploring her backyard in California.
Unfortunately for Clara and her family, she is also facing a challenge that is unfathomable to most of us. In October, while on family vacation and during a visit to an urgent care for a simple respiratory illness, Clara was diagnosed with what initially appeared to be a minor heart murmur and referred to her family doctor for a followup.
Long story short, one referral led to another, and after several MRIs and CT scans, Clara has been diagnosed with what is believed to be a cardiac fibroma, which in layman's terms is a mass/tumor that is embedded within her heart.
Such condition is incredibly rare, with only a handful of instances in the US annually, and a third of these fibromas are diagnosed upon autopsy, after a child experiences sudden cardiac death.
*A 3D printed model of Clara's heart and the embedded mass (in pink)
Clara has thus far visited doctors at Stanford and UCSF, and based on the advice of several professionals is being referred to Boston Children's Hospital for additional diagnotics and treatment (surgery).
The trip to Boston will almost certainly require a lengthy stay of as long as six weeks as Clara recovers. Her parents Elliot and Tanya will be traveling with her for at least part of the trip while her siblings remain at home in California under the care of relatives and friends.
Through the generosity of many of you out there, a bulk of the cost of lodging in Boston has been donated already in the form of Marriott Points. But unfortunately, Marriott also imposes limitations on how many points may be donated, and we incredibly reached that limit in under 24 hours.
There are additional costs for airfare, meals, local transportation and incidental expenses.
Because several people have asked if there is another way to help, I am setting up this gofundme account. While it was not my original intent to seek financial assistance, the overwhelming support from all of you have encouraged me to do so on behalf of the family.
I have set a initial goal of $4260, which is 30 days of GSA per diem for two people in Boston to help cover some of the costs and am seeking small donations. Any additional funds will go towards other medical expenses and in the event there are unused funds when everything is said and done, they will be donated to another family that they have met who is facing a similar cardiac care situation for their 18 month old.
Update: