Everyone meet Katelyn! This sweet girl was born at 24 weeks gestation, weighing only 1lb 6oz. When Katelyn was just two and a half years old, she was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, a Neuromuscular Disease meaning "serious muscle weakness". There are treatments that can help with the daily symptoms, but there currently is no cure. To keep the symptoms under control, Katelyn undergoes IVIG treatment every two weeks through her port.
This wasn't the end of diagnoses for Katelyn though, unfortunately. She was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease. And most recently, at 12 and a half years old, Katelyn was diagnosed with epilepsy.
In May 2022, she was admitted into the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Phoenix Children’s Hospital where they performed numerous tests, surgeries and lymph node biopsies that revealed another diagnosis: drug-induced Lupus.
Katelyn doesn't let any of it stop her though! After two years of online school, she is back in the classroom again!
Their family relies on Dad for income as Mom is Katelyn's primary caretaker full-time. With all the medical expenses, it's easy to understand how it can cause financial hardship.
Katelyn is now 14 and her mom calls her their miracle baby.
If you feel inclined to give to PFF, know that your money goes to help families like this. Thanks for reading Katelyn's amazing story. 💜