Support Maria's Fight Against AK to Help Restore Her Vision

My name is Nora Crowley. I wanted to start this fundraiser to help my daughter, Maria Crowley. Maria was diagnosed with a very rare cornea infection that caused her to go blind in her left eye. She has had to put her life on hold because she has been unable to work, drive, or do a lot of normal activities. I would be so grateful if you could help Maria reach her goal so she can get her life back. Thank you.

The following is from Maria:

Hello all, I have been making real-time updates about my eye on Instagram @mariaicrowley if you would like more information.

I had been dealing with a mystery eye condition for 12 weeks and was given different diagnoses by different eye doctors, but nothing seemed to resolve my eye condition. One day, it started feeling like tiny needles were stabbing my left eye. My pain level went from a 4 to a 10, my eye became bloodshot red, and a thick cloudy ring started to form around my eye, causing me to lose my vision. I didn’t know it at the time, but parasites had invaded my eye and started to feed on my cornea. I called the eye clinic where I was being followed on September 30th and got in to see a cornea specialist. After one minute of examining my eye, the cornea specialist diagnosed me with Acanthamoeba Keratitis (AK) and confirmed the diagnosis by taking a scraping of my cornea.

Acanthamoeba is a parasite that lives in all water sources, including tap water. I contracted this infection while taking a shower at my apartment in Austin, TX. Amoebas are microscopic single-celled organisms that can get trapped behind your contact lens while showering or swimming. The cornea specialist started me on the gold standard treatment for AK immediately, which is a compounded eye drop formula of Chlorhexidine/PHMB (the equivalent of pool cleaner). I have to instill these drops every hour on the clock while I am awake to try to kill the amoebas. I was told I had the possibility of losing my eye completely because the infection is usually very aggressive.

I have been on the eye drops for 10 weeks now with some improvement, but I am still blind and the infection is still active. My doctor is looking at the possibility of starting me on an experimental treatment called cornea cross-linking that may or may not resolve the infection. Because cornea cross-linking is experimental, it is not FDA approved and not covered by insurance. My doctor told me this treatment will cost thousands of dollars. If cornea cross-linking and/or the eye drops don’t get rid of the infection, I will likely need to get a cornea transplant to restore my vision. I have not been able to return to work yet because the infection has not gone away. It has been a struggle paying for expensive eye drops and weekly doctor visits while not earning my regular income. Cornea cross-linking and/or cornea transplant will add to the cost. Any donation will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!