Miracle for Meghan

Hi, this is Melissa - I'm lucky enough to call myself a friend of Meghan's! Meghan and I went to college together, and I know her to be one of the brightest human beings most people encounter in their lives. Everyone's life is brighter with Meghan in it, and the world is brighter with Meghan in it.

 

In college, Meghan starting having problems with TMJ (most simply put - severe jaw pain), and she began to bruise very easily. After college, things didn't get better, they got worse. Fast forward to 2022, Meghan is dealing with a devastating illness called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). EDS is a rare chronic disease that causes unbearable pain for Meghan and leaves her in bed most days, unable to do, well, almost anything.

She cannot work, it can be painful to just sit up, some days it's too painful to talk. Meghan is only 35 years old, and in medical terms, she has (literally) died four times. It's hard for me or most people to fathom how unspeakably difficult it is to bare all of this. But, being who she is, Meghan will not give up. She hasn't lost hope.


As of May 2022, Meghan had an amazing breakthrough. She was able to see a specialist in Rhode Island named Dr. Chopra who has a NINETEEN MONTH waitlist. Meghan and her mom drove ~20 hours from their home in Alabama to see him. (Meghan isn't able to comfortably travel by plane.)

This doctor was able to see, affirm, and diagnose things for Meghan that no other doctor has been able to. Beyond EDS, in layman's terms, he saw:
- Her brain stem is being crushed ("arnold chairi malformation")
- The ligaments between her spinal cord and skull are dangerously loose ("cereberical cerival instability c3-c7")
- Eagles Syndrome (I don't know how to describe this in simple terms but it can cause excruciating pain and can be life-threatening.)
- Heightened cranial pressure which can cause frequent, terrible headaches
- ..and this is only about half of the list. 



Dr. Chopra made an emergency call to a doctor in NYC so that Meghan can undergo emergency procedures next week (May 16-20). This is huge. She and her mom are currently staying in a hotel in Long Island. They're so grateful for these developments, and at the same time, the financial burden continues to mount - to the tune of many, many thousands of dollars.

 

So what can you do to help - what can we do collectively? Well, a lot of things. Here's 5 of them.

 

1. Contribute to this fundraiser! As you can imagine, these specialists, these treatments, the trips across the country to visit new doctors -- it takes a huge financial toll on Meghan and her family. To the tune of many, many thousands of dollars (see a breakdown of some costs below). The more money we can raise, the more avenues Meghan can explore and the less she's limited and strained by financial resources.

2. If you have a fancy credit card with points you can donate credit card points to Meghan and her mom for hotel stays, that could be another fantastic way to help out.

 

3. Share this fundraiser! Every single dollar can help Meghan get the help she desperately needs - so share it with everyone you know. (I mean *everyone.*)

4. Believe with us that Meghan will get her miracle and be cured of this. Hold Meghan close in your thoughts and your prayers, and continue to believe that Meghan has a big, bright, beautiful future ahead of her that is not held back by these diagnoses.
 
5. Encourage Meghan!! She needs it - every day. Because this is too much for one person to carry alone. Reach out to her by Facebook message or handwritten letter or text message or any other way. Send her some love, even if you've never met her or you've lost touch.

Meghan needs a miracle, and let's rally together to help her see it.

 

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Some examples of Meghan's costs:
Craniosacral therapy 3 times a week at $120/hour (Around $1440/month)

$25 copays at every doctor (5 to 10 a month for a total of $125-250/month)
$190/month for medicines, supplements, and mobility aids

$700 for ketamine infusions

Cost of travel to see specialists around the country in a special van Meghan requires so that her body can lay flat

Cost of lodging during the travel

Visits to specialists such as Dr. Chopra that cost around $1000 or CST for $5000