Veronique Family Fund

We write to friends, family and our community with an urgent call to support someone we love who has been confronted with a terrible diagnosis compounded by the impacts of the current pandemic.

Veronique’s Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Diagnosis

Our dear friend and incredible human being Veronique was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) this past Spring. We encourage everyone to familiarize themselves with the symptoms and progression of this horrible, degenerative, and incurable disease.  Anyone who is diagnosed with it will be confronted with immediate and progressive challenges requiring profound life changes and support.  

Being confronted with an ALS diagnosis is a major gut punch. We all know that Veronique is a fighter who takes challenges in stride and thinks of others first, but this disease is something she cannot face alone.

Veronique is prepared to fight ALS with whatever tools she is given.  She has begun taking medications to help slow the disease’s progression, but is facing the additional frustration of the inability to participate in any of the trials for new/potential therapies – all currently on hold due to the pandemic. She is hoping to be able to participate in trials in the near future, and while she waits for these to become available, she is doing everything she can to strengthen her body and mind for what lies ahead.  

We want to help Veronique in any way we can, just as she has been such an amazing friend to us.


A Little Bit About Veronique

Veronique is an incredible mother to two wonderful kids, ages 12 and 16.  

She is fortunate to be married to her incredible husband Thor who has responded to Vero’s diagnosis with his typical compassion and strength.

Veronique is also an entrepreneur, who created and grew her local Santa Cruz County business, Petite Provence, from scratch, a business that has now been shuttered by the combination of impacts from COVID-19 and her diagnosis.  

Veronique is a true friend to many.


What Veronique Needs

Vero’s friends and family stand ready to support her in her fight against ALS, but it will require significant resources to provide the equipment and housing modifications necessary to adapt their home to the obstacles presented by ALS.  We want their family to have everything they need to prepare for the physical challenges ALS will pose so that Veronique can focus on her family and her health.

ALS is a degenerative disease that is rapidly affecting Veronique’s mobility and unfortunately will soon confine her to a wheelchair. Like most houses, the family home of many years is not wheelchair accessible, and it will require significant modifications to allow for Veronique’s needs, including wheelchair lifts, ramps, and bathroom modifications. Additionally they will be incurring significant out of pocket medical costs as well as facing new transportation requirements to accommodate Vero’s needs. 

The family have already had experts visit their house to determine what to do.  After reviewing initial estimates for the necessary work, they considered moving out of their home to rent another house that might be better suited to Veronique’s needs, but were unable to find one that would not still require modifications which would not be feasible with a rental so they determined that the best option would be modifying their home. With so many things already changing for the family, and the children, they hope to avoid adding a move out of their longtime home and neighborhood on top of everything else that’s already happening. Veronique and her family will clearly be more comfortable staying in the home they’ve made their own over the years. 


How You Can Help

We invite friends, family, and anyone who has experienced Veronique’s kindness over the years to contribute to this campaign to raise the funds needed for Vero’s upcoming ALS needs, including modifications to her home.  Please also consider sharing this GoFundMe link with friends, family, in your community, with local businesses and on social media. For social media, please use the hashtag #verostrong. You can also use any of these hashtags to bring awareness to such an important cause.

#als 
#alsawareness
#alswarrior
#alstreatment
#alsfacts
#lougehrigsfacts
#lougehrigswarrior
#endals
#fuckals 
#findacure
#fightals
#raredisease

Thank you for your support! #verostrong