Monica is a single mom who needs your help . . .

Hi . . . My name is Mike Dunford. I am a pastor at Faith Church in Linden, MI, and I am attempting to raise funds to help Monica Pelz, a single mom who desperately needs financial assistance to provide much-needed medical care for her three daughters. Let me tell you a bit about Monica.

She is a hard-working mother of three beautiful girls--Aude, 21, Ava, 14, and Kaiya, 12. She and her girls have been down a long, hard road with health issues for some time.

Monica, Aude, and Ava have been diagnosed with a cardiovascular autonomic disorder called POTS; Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. POTS is a form of Dysautonomia — a condition of the autonomic nervous system. This branch of the nervous system regulates functions we don't consciously control, such as heart rate, blood pressure, sweating and body temperature. It is known to be caused by a Connective Tissue Disorder that they have.

Monica was diagnosed in 2014 and is doing her best to manage her condition independently since losing her health insurance three years ago. Thankfully her symptoms have been somewhat manageable, although she still has some rough days. She hopes to be able to focus on her care once her children are cared for and have what they need.

Aude started showing signs of POTS in 2017 but wasn't diagnosed until 2019.

Ava was just diagnosed with POTS and Neurocardiogenic Syncope - a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure leading to fainting.

Both Aude and Ava also have Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS), a severe medical condition that can cause pain anywhere in the body. These pain episodes can be intermittent or constant, affect the whole body, be localized to one area of the body, or affect just a limb. Whenever it occurs, the degree of pain children with AMPS experience is more intense than expected. They also have a connective tissue disorder that causes hypermobility of their joints. They both are in pain daily.

While showing some signs of these conditions, Kaiya is doing well in these areas.

Her area of concern is her eyes. She was born premature and was recently diagnosed with a significant eye conversion prohibiting her from seeing clearly, and being able to focus in school and read. She has struggled in school for years, and now they know why.

I am sharing these details with you because Monica desperately needs your help and support.

Aude has an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic in November to see a specialist because her Cardiologist, Electrophysiologist, and Neurologist are having difficulty managing her symptoms. They are hoping for new light to be shed on her situation with this appointment. This trip will cost approximately $750 with hotel stay, gasoline, and food.

Kaiya has the opportunity to receive special eye therapy that will correct her conversion, but it's not covered by insurance. The treatment is in two parts; the first will focus on getting her visual, vestibular, and auditory systems working correctly. This initial treatment will cost $3,000. The next is eye therapy. This eye therapy focuses on training her eyes to work together (hers move independently of each other and, without treatment, can end up severely hurting her eyesight, more than it already has). Furthermore, this will also strengthen the muscles that control her eye movement. This treatment will cost $5,000. It is critical that she start this soon.

Ava was just referred to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota because she needs more specialized care that her Cardiologist can not offer. The Mayo Clinic has a special pediatric POTS Clinic. We're waiting on a date for her appointment. However, we know that airfare will cost between $1,000 and $1,500, a hotel will cost between $400 and $800 depending on how long they will need to stay, and a rental car will cost roughly around $600. With travel, lodging, transportation, and food, we believe she will need $4,000 for this trip.

Monica has difficulty asking for help, so I am asking for her.

She just moved her family from their 1,800 sqft townhouse to a less than 350 sqft one-bedroom apartment to save money. She is dedicated to saving money wherever she can. However, given the mounting medical expenses, she continues to come up short.

Aude lives independently, working as an assistant manager while putting herself through college debt free. She is majoring in English Literature with a minor in Journalism. She loves to write and is a devoted, hard-working young lady.

This family is humble, loves to help others, and is a joy to be around.

Would you please consider donating to help Monica and her children get their needed care? Your donation will help this single mother breathe a bit easier, knowing she isn't alone and her children will get the care they need. Our fund-raising goal for Monica is $14000. Thank you in advance for your assistance!