My daughter, Lainie, is a 17-year-old daughter, student, athlete, friend, and dreamer.  We have been to so many specialists, some in New Mexico and some in El Paso, TX.  Between the multiple pediatric neurologists, a neurosurgeon, a gastroenterologists, and a cardiologists, we have had a variety of diagnosis that never fully “fit” what she was going through and struggling with.  I have watched my bright, engaged, energetic, intelligent kid become someone who struggles with depression, anxiety, panic attacks, sleep issues, exhaustion, brain fog, fainting episodes, loss of memories, gastrointestinal issues, anemia, weight loss, dizziness, and isolation because of all of this.  We had to transfer her to an online school to accommodate the doctors appointments and lack of support she was getting from in person school, despite months of asking for a 504.  
On January 3, 2023, the pediatric cardiologist stated that she meets all of the criteria for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), as she has almost every symptom listed. This diagnosis means that her autonomic nervous system does not work like it should.  Our autonomic nervous system is our “autopilot” system, meaning it controls things like our heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, stomach, adrenaline, and affects our sleep.  Things that normally balance out correctly, like getting excited for a volleyball game and being able to use the adrenaline in the game, will often lead to extreme emotions for her, a panic attack, and then fainting and full loss of consciousness for at least 5 minutes.

I cannot explain the relief I feel to have someone finally feel confident in the diagnosis they are giving her.  Despite this relief, there is no “cure” for POTS.  I continue to watch her struggle, at home, school, and in her development for someone who is 17.  For her actual birthday this year she spent most of the day in bed, due to exhaustion and brain fog, or throwing up due to the GI issues related to POTS.  We have found a program based out of Dallas that helps provide some treatment and education for her regarding POTS, to help her try to minimize the symptoms.  However, this program does not accept insurances and we are hoping the community will help support us in this treatment.  Her insurance is now also not covering the pediatric cardiologist she has been seeing, so we must pay out of pocket or attempt to find a different doctor and begin again.  I cannot clearly express how helpless you feel as a parent watching your child fade in front of your eyes and there is nothing you can do to change what she is going through.  She is 17 with her entire life before her, but struggles to get through a day without fainting, struggling with nausea or throwing up, having an emotional outburst that she does not expect, or having so much brain fog she cannot retain any information and often sits in a daze throughout the entire day.  The rare days that none of these symptoms happen are extremely few and far between.  This raffle presents an opportunity for us to invest in her treatment and begin the road of gaining answers, looking towards her future a little differently than we planned, and finding strength in our community again.