Friends of Emily Minck

Meet Emily. This sweet little girl is my niece. She's a cheerful, loving 9-year-old girl who lives in Lake Havasu, Arizona. She was recently diagnosed with CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy), a rare, aggressive and devastating form of nerve and neuromuscular degeneration.

Emily is always smiling. She loves to read and go to school. But around Halloween, she started tripping and falling. By Thanksgiving, she couldn't walk at all. Thus began her medical journey. Emily was air-lifted to Phoenix Children's Hospital. After many grueling tests, she was initially diagnosed with Guillane-Barre Syndrome.

I was able to visit Emily in January and hoped for her to come to the Central Coast for a short stay. "Will I see dolphins?" she asked. But the treatments weren't working and the trip had to be cancelled.

Now we know why the treatment wasn't working. It turns out that Emily is actually battling CIDP.  While there is no known cure for CIDP,  the hopeful news is that if caught early enough, symptoms can be reversed.

Understandably, all this has put quite a burden on my brother Kevin and his family.  In a series of unfortunate events, their only car has broken down, they lost their rental home and are now living in a motel. Emily's medical condition requires regular 5-hour trips to Phoenix when she relapses, requiring time off of work for her parents, compounding the financial stress.

The entire Minck family remains hopeful for Emily's full recovery. Your generosity will help the family's mounting medical bills and transportation costs.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and support!