Source: GoFundMe
I am trying to help my friend’s daughter Juniper Doyle.
June, as some call her, was a healthy 20 yr old working a job to pay off her student loans so she can continue with Art School at SCAD. However in September of 2022 that all changed and her medical issues started, which had been a mystery for some time.
It all started when she couldn’t stop uncontrollably laughing & crying so her mom Laura took her to the ER. She wasn’t making any sense.
While she was in the ER, she kept asking her mother to go get her mom. The next 2 days she slowly went catatonic and then into a coma. She was in the ICU in Freehold for a month.
The doctors were trying to treat her for different things waiting for the spinal tests to come back, which could take weeks. They transferred her to Jefferson Hospital in Philly where they have an extensive Neuro team that saw her. By this time she was starting to wake up but could not talk, walk or even use her hands.
After testing her for numerous things, they got an answer: It was Autoimmune Encephalitis plus Polyglandular Autoimmune Syndrome Type II. And believe it or not, those diagnoses have nothing to do with each other.
Polyglandular Autoimmune Syndrome Type II is rare in itself and she will have to take medication for the rest of her life for that. The brain damage she suffered was only caused by the Autoimmune Encephalitis. That affected the part of the brain called the basal hanglia which is all motor skills.
After living in a rehabilitation for a month more, she was finally able to come home. She is now walking again…a little unstable at times. However her speech and hands have a very long way to go.
Juniper will be permanently disabled for at least the next year or two with hopes that she will attend 100% of her ability to speak and use her hands. But the doctors still have no idea if that will happen or not. She has filed for SSI but still has not gotten any word yet as to her receiving anything or being eligible.
She still has to repay her student debt and some medical bills…all reaching to date around $60,000. Her parents are doing everything they can but are in a financial crunch due to Juniper’s father being in a motorcycle accident and on disability for a few months. So I thought this might be a great way to help. Any amount that you can donate will help her concentrate on getting better and not worrying so much about all the expenses she has incurred.
Thank you in advance for your donation.
Brain on Fire is a Netflix movie that helps explain what happened with Juniper. And here is a video playlist of her progress so far.