Support Grace Allmon Pierson bone marrow transplant
Story
Amy Chizum and Lora Fishburn – Were raising money for our niece Grace Allmon Pierson for medical bills due to her having a bone marrow transplant. Grace was living her best life, got married in November of 2024 and teaching 1st grade at Triton Elementary School. Then suddenly, she started bruising easily and was very tired, so she scheduled an appointment with her PCP, which ran a lot of labs. A lot of her labs came back abnormal, and she was sent to a hematologist. Her hematologist ran a bunch of tests and decided that she has PNH (Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria), which is a rare blood disorder where red blood cells are prematurely destroyed. She must get her lab drawn twice a week to check her platelet levels. Her levels range from 16 to 7, normal is 150 to 450. When her platelets drop to 10 or below, she must receive a platelet transfusion, which so far, she has received several along with blood transfusions. Treatment for PNH is an infusion of ultomiris (which is a very expensive drug). Grace received 2 infusions, and she felt no improvement, so she decided she wanted answers and scheduled an appointment at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. There she found out that she also has aplastic anemia. The doctor at Mayo Clinic prescribed a treatment that he thought could be done in Plymouth, IN. After seeing her hematologist here, she was told that that treatment could not be done here because facilities around here don’t have the medicine and are not trained to give this medicine. She couldn’t go back to Mayo Clinic because insurance won’t pay for Mayo Clinic. She was referred to a doctor in Chicago that specialize in bone marrow. After seeing this doctor, it was decided that she needed a bone marrow transplant which will be done at Loyola Hospital in Chicago. Grace will have to go thru multiple tests, chemotherapy and cryopreservation before the transplant can take place. We are in the process of finding a donor (which her brothers Cody & Jesse are in process of being tested). After her transplant she will be in the hospital for 3 weeks then required to stay in Chicago for 100 days. She must have a caregiver 24/7 during this time and will have to live in a hotel during this this time. Her insurance is paying for some hotel and transportation, but she will have a lot of out-of-pocket costs. We’re trying to help her with some of the cost, so she can focus on herself to get better and getting back teaching at Triton (which she loves). She will be out of work for at least year. Please pray for her as she as a very long road ahead of her. Anybody that knows her, knows that she is a very strong woman that is kind and compassionate.
Organizers :
Amy Chizum is organizing this fundraiser.