My wife, Laurelin O’Brien, went blind before she turned 18 years old. That was in 1998 and before long she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
Though she had flare ups, Laurelin lived life. She was able to become a licensed high school teacher and, in 2010, we learned we were pregnant. Laurelin knew that she could possibly have a bad attack due to the strain of pregnancy, but we wanted our little girl so badly that together we decided to take the risk.
Unfortunately, when our beautiful daughter was born, Laurelin did suffer a severe MS attack leaving her partially paralyzed, unable to drive, unable to teach, and unable to be the mother she had always dreamed of being. Now, she lives in a wheelchair, unable to enjoy the simple joys all mothers dream of like playing outside, going for a walk hand in hand, helping at her child’s school or simply baking cookies together in the kitchen. Then, one day in 2015, she learned about a program in Mexico which offered stem cell treatment for her MS. This treatment has taken people in wheelchairs and allowed them to regain much of what they had lost.
While stem cell treatments like the one Laurelin needs are done in other countries, only clinical trials with strict criteria are being done in the US for multiple sclerosis and insurance does not cover it either way. The cost of this treatment is $54,500. Additionally there is the expense of travel and lodging while we are there for the 28 days required to administer the treatment. Can a price be put on the quality of life? With your help, Laurelin will get her life back!
To help with the financial burden of Laurelin’s uninsured expenses, a fundraising campaign in her honor has been established with Help Hope Live, a trusted nonprofit organization that has been providing community-based fundraising guidance to patients and their families for more than 30 years. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law, are held by Help Hope Live in the New York Catastrophic Illness Fund, and are administered by Help Hope Live for illness-related expenses only. Please consider a contribution.
For credit card contributions, please click the yellow Donate Now button.
Keep an eye on this campaign page because we will be planning some fundraising events soon and posting updates regularly. If you’d like to volunteer to help, please call or email us. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support.
Sincerely,
John Stephens (Laurelin’s husband)
[email protected]
607-321-1046
