Transverse myelitis (TM), Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Scleroderma, Syrogen, Narcolepsy, Crohn’s Disease, Meniere’s Disease, Huntington’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, HIV/AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Rheumatoid Arthritis, Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, Huntington’s disease and other Autoimmune Diseases and Severe Mental Illness still lack funds to research genuinely and deeply about their causes, Holistic Medicine; conventional and alternative treatments and therapies ( acupuncture, chiropractic care, homeopathy, massage therapy, naturopathy, ect) and Alternative medicines (marijuana /cannabis)
Life has so many downs and ups..still those at their worst do their very best to inspire and be a change…that’s the case for Rhana Fleming!
Three years back when I was first diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis along with two other autoimmune disorders; Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Hemolytic Anemia, unknown in the Mauritian medical vocabulary, Rhana has been a voice and an absolute strength to me and many more via her videos. On 24th August 2016, Rihanna lost her battle against Transverse Myelitis.
For many of us, like me who lives in countries where local supportive group
appropriate medical support and treatments related to our health conditions are non existent, foreign medical researches and exchange platforms are what keeps us alive.
Learn about autoimmune diseases, Donate for medical research and the least you can do is give some warmth and love to those in need.
I just wish that every wish for a cure of all, for all be heard and answered.
Don’t wait for it to be your turn and more life to be lost, to make change.Time can wait, not health.
Starts right HERE AND NOW.
Rhana’s story;
To really get to know Rhana Fleming, you have to watch her how-to gymnastics videos, where the Charlestown 12-year-old teacheed her YouTube audience how to master handstands and cartwheels.
But her world turned upside down when her parents got the call that day in December.
Roughly four hour hours after that, Rhana was at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, paralyzed from the neck down.
“We got a call from the gym that she was sick,” her father Robert Fleming said. “We didn’t really know how sick. We didn’t really think it was catastrophic sick.”
“I said was there an accident? Did she fall? And they said no, we were just doing warm-ups,” her mother Cheryl Fleming said.
It was a sudden, violent nerve reaction in Rhana’s spine that doctors call *Transverse Myelitis. Rhana has been in the ICU for 25 days. Cameras are not allowed inside, but her father shows ABC6 cell phone videos of Rhana mouthing ‘I love you.’ The tube makes it tough for her talk, especially because she was still in excruciating pain.
Doctors see roughly 30 cases like Rhana’s in Rhode Island each year; however, 90% of them respond to what is called aggressive intervention. Rhana is part of the 10% that, so far, has not.
“We just don’t understand the process well enough to handle it,” Dr. David Mandelbaum, head of the Neurological Unit at Hasbro, said. “90% of the time we do, but with that 10%, there is just so much unknown.”
They did not know if Rhana was to walk again. They were trying to figure out whether or not any of this may be the result of her immune system over-reacting to an infection that had already passed.
But instead of harping on the unknown, Rhana’s parents have been pro-active, setting up a website to raise money for her care: http://www.rhanasjourney.com/
They were focused on their little girl’s spirit because even in the hospital bed, she has made them laugh out loud at her jokes and quietly cry at her selflessness. They realized that their little gymnastics teacher has a whole lot to teach them about life.
* Transverse myelitis is a neurological disorder caused by inflammation across both sides of one level, or segment, of the spinal cord. The term myelitis refers to inflammation of the spinal cord; transverse simply describes the position of the inflammation, that is, across the width of the spinal cord. Attacks of inflammation can damage or destroy myelin, the fatty insulating substance that covers nerve cell fibers. This damage causes nervous system scars that interrupt communications between the nerves in the spinal cord and the rest of the body.
Please help With Rhana’s Medical Bills
https://www.gofundme.com/rhana
You have endured what was unbearable with a smile always on…and I’ll carry that same smile until we meet again…Rest in peace fighter ❤Rhana Fleming!
Anshika Sawaram 