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Disease has North Okanagan woman seeking treatments in Mexico

GoFundMe campaign launched to help Lara-Rose Duong and her family

A GoFundMe set up to help a North Okanagan woman with a rare autoimmune disorder has raised nearly $9,000.

Lara-Rose Duong has been battling myasthenia gravis for 20 years and has received stem cell treatment in Mexico after going into crisis over the holidays. Funds will go towards treatment and recovery costs.

According to the Mayo Clinic, myasthenia gravis is characterized by weakness and rapid fatigue of any of the muscles under your voluntary control. It’s caused by a breakdown in the normal communication between nerves and muscles.

There’s no cure for myasthenia gravis, but treatment can help relieve signs and symptoms, such as weakness of arm or leg muscles, double vision, drooping eyelids, and difficulties with speech, chewing, swallowing and breathing.

Though this disease can affect people of any age, it’s more common in women younger than 40 and in men older than 60.

“Though no longer able-bodied, her sheer willpower to survive, research of her own path to survival and the power of love has led my sister to receive Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT) treatment at Clinica Ruiz in Puebla, Mexico,” wrote Duong’s sister, Nikki, on the GoFundMe page.

Duong’s husband, Adin Tetz, has used his life’s savings to fund her HSCT journey of healing. He has not left Duong’s side and is her caretaker as she receives treatments.

To help Duong and family, you can:

1. Donate whatever you can. No donation is too little;

2. Amplify on social media with #hope4lara;

3. Share this page with your friends and family.

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