Maryalicia Verdecchia

Vancouver, Washington, United States
Profile Campaigns

An IPAD 3 for Katie

<p><strong>Katie was born on March 31, 2008 with a very rare syndrome called Aicardi's syndrome. A very rare Seizure disorder with abnormal brain developments that has about 1000 cases worldwide currently (they are saying once the gene is found, it could be as many as 10,000).&nbsp; She has overcome so much more than we ever envisioned.&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><strong>Katie was also a rare candidate for a radical brain surgery called a hemispherectomy. &nbsp;</strong>Around the end of July 2010, Katie's seizures took a turn for the worse. They not only increased, but we started noticing different kinds. We spoke with her neurologist, and a video EEG was ordered on 31 August 2010. The results of the test were very dark. Katie was seizing constantly on the right side of her brain. So much so, the doctor was very worried. We discussed the possibility of VNS, and Dr Mettrick did not think this would help with the types of seizures she was having. We discussed brain surgery.&nbsp;</p> <p>Long story short, on 1 November 2010, Katie went to UCLA to see if she was eligible for brain surgery. After three days of testing, the results of the retests, and new tests, confirmed the August results. Katie was eligible for and needed surgery. In addition to the seizures she was not showing, Katie's seizures were on a dramatic rise and intensity. I cannot even begin tell you how intense and nasty her seizures were getting, but sometimes she vomited and stoped breathing. They got worse every day and she was regressing.</p> <p>Katie had&nbsp;her for surgery on 22 November 2010. We arrived on the 17th of November, and had her surgery on the 22nd. We know in our hearts this is the right path that God sent us down for this the surgery.&nbsp; Katie is doing well and was featured on The Today Show concerning her recovery from this surgery and being a rare candidate for surgery (being an Aicardi Girl). &nbsp;Despite that one seizure on 19 May 2012 at 0800 in the morning, we have not seen any seizures since restarting a seizure med.</p> <p><span>Katie is doing great, but she had many signs of another disorder called Autism. Eye averting, not really wanting to be touched, lacking social skills, and non verbal. We went though the process (six months) and was&nbsp;diagnosed with One of the things that has been great for Katie is her IPAD 1. &nbsp;We use her IPAD for so many things. It has a photo book of us she can scroll through, apps for her to learn from, a great positive reinforcign tool. &nbsp;We use it to 'tell her' about things we about to do like on 'ischedule' and it has an Augg comm app, but that is not it's sole use. We do have another talker to be her voice.&nbsp;<br /></span></p> <p>But Katie's IPAD is broken. Katie is young and imbalanced with Aicardi Syndrome and the Hemispherectomy causing something called Hemiparisis- a weakness on the left side. It has a stroke like 'look'. Falling and dropping the IPAD over the past 3 years has taken it's toll. It is still somewhat functional, but the sound is gone, and will only reappear spatically. The button is starting to stick, and the IPAD freezes up alot. The right side is bulging from the dropping.&nbsp;</p> <p>Unfortunately, we are not able to purchase an IPAD at this time. We are a one income family, and my job is ending on 30 Sep, 2012. We will use it till it is on it's last legs, but Katie is getting more and more frustrated with it's sound not function and it's freezing up. Any help you could provide- $1 would be great towards the purchase of an IPAD 3 for Katie.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

About Me
  • 1 Campaign From the launch to the finish line, these were the campaigns you ran to make something happen for your entrepreneurial, cause-related, or creative passions.
  • 1 Comment Engagement is the name of the game when it comes to crowdfunding. Sharing your thoughts on campaigns can help campaigners and strengthen the Indiegogo community.
  • 0 Contributions Whether you contributed a little or a lot, this number signifies the times you helped support someone else’s idea, project, or goal.
Verifications
This person has not yet verified their account with any social networks.
Find Me On