Donate to Helpful Hands for Caraline, organized by Claire Shong

Product Description

Pictured above is my sweet baby sister Caraline. The first picture is the three of us (sisters) the first time Cara was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. This hospital trip uncovered her long overdue diagnosis. She is now 14 years old and is struggling with an incredibly rare blood disease called CDA II. This disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects the development of red blood cells. The immature red blood cells do not develop into normal, mature cells, leading to a reduction in the number of functional red blood cells. Cara was 3 years old when she was diagnosed and has since spent uncountable days in the hospital experiencing numerous blood tests, scans, blood transfusions, and more. Not having enough red blood cells has affected her oxygen transport in the body. She can no longer participate in sports (except golf, which she adores), she is winded after a flight of stairs, and is often sick because her immune system is so weak. Cara is the strongest girl I know and has had to endure so much. She was recently seen at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and her new doctors created a plan. After almost 6 months of blood transfusions every 2 weeks, she is ready for the next steps. She had an appointment at U of M to discuss the beginning of a new treatment plan: a bone marrow transplant (also known as a stem cell transplant). Before this process starts, Cara is currently being treated for the overproduction of iron going to her liver. Each night, she receives two IV’s in her stomach for 12 hours, receiving medication. After a month of this treatment, the plan WAS for Cara to go through egg retrieval in hopes of her having her own children one day (the later step of chemo could possibly kill her ovaries and she will be unable to drop eggs to have children). This might not be possible as the drugs used for this procedure cost $15,000, and are not covered by insurance. The next step will be a surgery for Cara to get a port into her neck followed by 7-9 days of chemotherapy to begin deteriorating her own bone marrow. Cara will begin to have symptoms like nausea & vomiting, hair loss, mouth sores, etc. On her last day of chemo, her sister Carlie will go under to get her bone marrow taken. The next day, Cara will begin to receive this in her IVs along with more blood transfusions. She will have about a 3 month stay in the hospital after the transplant is complete. This process will be incredibly wearing on Cara and she will continue to need everyone’s support. Once Cara can go home, she will stay there under close surveillance for almost a year. During this time, she will be doing online school. We are so appreciative of all of Cara’s doctors, Bronson Hospital, U of M, and friends and family that have been supporting her and our family along the way. I, myself, am incredibly grateful for our other sister Carlie, who is able to donate her bone marrow to Caraline. As Cara’s medical expenses continue to grow, I created this GoFundMe to help pay for a sliver of her medical bills. These transplants are normally $100,000+ without insurance. While she has great insurance, this procedure will still be over the moon expensive. No matter what the donation, WE appreciate it! Thank you to everyone.

Donate to Helpful Hands for Caraline, organized by Claire Shong

Donate to Helpful Hands for Caraline, organized by Claire Shong

Price Valid Until: 1970-01-01