Caroline Bradner.Photo: Go Fund Me
A 22-year-old teacher from Virginia living in Southeast Asia was unable to move after waking up in her apartment on December 22. Now, after being diagnosed with a rare and sudden illness, her family is working to fly her thousands of miles back home in the hopes that she soon makes a full recovery.
It wasn’t until a friend drove her to the hospital the morning of the 22nd that Caroline was officially diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves, causing symptoms such as muscle weakness that eventually leads to paralysis. According to theCenters for Disease Control, an estimated 3,000 to 6,000 people develop the condition each year in the United States.
“Your stomach drops and your world turns upside down,” Caroline’s father, Jim Bradner, toldABC 8.
Fortunately, GBS is often temporary, and patients can make a full recovery. But, the process is excruciatingly slow and can take weeks or even months. For some, it can take years.
“We see improvements every day,” Bradner told the news station. “They may be small improvements.”
Caroline has been able to move her shoulder and feel a bit on tingling in her fingers in recent days, and the family is hoping to fly her back stateside to continue her recovery.
“We just appreciate everybody’s help and outpouring,” Bradner toldCBS 6. “All the support and prayers. Caroline has a lot of family and friends in her corner. They are pulling for her and want to get her home ASAP, so she can get the care she needs.”
“It’s very humbling to know that people care. It could be anybody’s daughter. It could be anybody’s child,” Bradner toldABC 8. “And they all want the same thing. They want them to be safe. They want them to come home. They want them to get better.”
“Her being in Thailand has totally changed her outlook on life,” he said. “She says the people there are incredible, always happy. I think she wants to live like that. She has a great positive attitude. She wants to get home. So she’s trying to do anything physical, physical therapy she can do to get home.”
source: people.com
