Guadalupe is a Fighter.
Guadalupe Valencia, a 31 year-old loving wife and mother of three, desperately needs your help. In 2012, Guadalupe was diagnosed with a rare and serious autoimmune disorder known as Guillain-Barre (GB) syndrome. This condition is devastating, and causes the body’s immune system to attack the nervous system, leading to complete paralysis from the neck down. For some, GB can be reversed, but in many instances it leaves permanent damage. For six months, Guadalupe was bedridden and paralyzed; she had no movement from her neck down and required both a breathing tube and feeding tube. Her treatment consisted of powerful IVIG medications and extensive rehab and physical therapy. She has made great strides, but Guadalupe’s recovery has a long way to go. She still requires monthly infusions and mobility therapy, and experiences muscle pain and weakness, profound fatigue — just to name a few. As parts of her body and still weak and paralyzed, Guadalupe must continue with strong medications and therapies, and even re-learn how to walk and feed herself.
Regardless of what she has been through, Guadalupe is a fighter and refuses to give up! Her faith, her family, her husband and her three beautiful children are her greatest gifts and they keep her strong. Her saying is, “you don’t know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.” Guadalupe has reached a plateau in her progress and was diagnosed with a chronic form of GB, known as multifocal motor neuropathy, or MMN. This condition is very rare and causes lifelong muscle weakness and significant nerve damage. Through her neurologist, Guadalupe learned of a promising treatment known as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or HSCT. In short, HSCT is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow or peripheral blood. After extensive medical testing and evaluation at Chicago’s Northwestern Medical Center, Guadalupe is approved and a perfect candidate for HSCT. She is hoping this treatment will reverse some of her symptoms and paralysis and help her regain her strength, mobility and fine motor function.
