Acaiyah Dandridge

Help Acaiyah get active and live pain free again!

Acaiyah is a beautiful 9 year old girl in third grade. Around her 7th birthday we noticed she had severe scoliosis, seemingly out of nowhere. This led to visits with different specialists with several tests and MRIs, leading to her diagnosis of Chiari Malformation Type I. A far less invasive surgery with far less side effects is available in Barcelona, Spain and cash is the only option for payment since it is outside of the USA.

Acaiyah is full of life and curiosity. She is very competitive and loves to play a wide variety of games and make jokes. She enjoys trying new foods and loves getting in the pool. She is on her school’s dance team and also in the coding club! She loves to help her mom and dad with simple tasks and is a great helper at school, too.

Since her Chiari diagnosis, she has been unable to play any sports (she wants to play sports SO BAD). She is limited in what she can do physically for P.E. at school. On any given day she pushes herself a little too hard, her symptoms arise quickly and painfully. Her most frequent symptoms are: Tingling, zapping, or numbness (“dead feeling” according to Acaiyah) of her limbs, back pain, neck pain, and vision anomalies. She also suffers from a lack of muscle growth, most noticeable on her right leg. When she tries to run, she quickly develops a limp.

We are raising funds for Acaiyah’s surgery and our travel expenses in Barcelona, Spain. We are also raising funds for physical therapy and other treatments that will follow surgery, including a one year check up with the institute in Barcelona. We are aiming to raise $50,000 to cover these expenses over the next year.

Acaiyah would be able to start physical therapy to correct her scoliosis and build muscle where it is currently underdeveloped. She would also gain the freedom to start playing sports and live the active lifestyle which she yearns for so deeply! Her symptoms will either be reduced significantly or be eliminated entirely!

Please donate to Help Hope Live in Acaiyah’s honor today, and ask your friends and family
to give, too! We would love to plan some fundraisers in Acaiyah’s honor, too, so if you can
help with that, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for
your generous support!

Family and friends of Acaiyah Dandridge are raising money for the nonprofit Help Hope Live to fund uninsured medical expenses associated with Catastrophic Illness.

Acaiyah has chosen to fundraise for Help Hope Live in part because Help Hope Live assures fiscal accountability of funds raised and tax deductibility for contributors. Contributors can be sure donations will be used to pay or reimburse medical and related expenses. To make a tax-deductible donation to this fundraising campaign, click on the Give button.

For more information, please contact Help Hope Live at 800.642.8399.

Thank you for your support!