Please help my 22 year-old cousin, Amanda as she fights for her life against Takayasu's Vasculitis. She is struggling against incredible odds in a Gainesville, Florida hospital, and she needs your help.

Takayasu's Vasculitis is a rare auto-immune disease that causes the blood vessels to narrow and eventually become blocked by fibrous tissue. Because this disease is rare and affects mostly Asian women, my cousin had to wait many months for her diagnosis. Unfortunately, this is a progressive disease, and those months have made her situation so much worse. Soon after Amanda was diagnosed and started to receive treatment, her small intestine ruptured. She is currently in an induced coma while her doctors struggle to treat the infection, the damage to her organs, and the underlying disease. Amanda has been in surgery nearly every day for almost a week, and we have no way of knowing how much more will be required. The doctors have said that every day she survives is a miracle.

At this incredibly difficult time, the last thing I want my cousin and her family to have to think about is money. Given the amount of care she has already received and the uncertainty of how much more she will need, I would like to shoulder some of their financial burden. I'm reaching out to you, my friends, family, and greater community, in the hope that you can help. Amanda needs you.

I am not personally religious, but Amanda is a devout Jehovah's Witness. She and her family have asked for your prayers. I would also like to ask for your positive thoughts and crossed fingers. Please keep Amanda in your hearts.