Stephanie Mazariegos, a woman I have had the joy of working with and who I consider a quality, stellar woman is a profoundly loving and devoted mother struggling with a huge weight and she IS keeping it together where many of us would falter. - I would like to rally around her and help with as much support as possible. This journey is not one they will bear alone!

This is their story as posted this morning via FB, please read and help if you can:

Hi friends, there really hasn't been too many times that I have used face book for personal stuff but today I feel like there are not many other options....

As so many of you know, and Im sure lots of you don't know, my 10 year old daughter Ela was diagnosed last year with a rare bone disease called Chronic Recurring Multifocal Osteomyelitis. She has been suffering with this disease for almost 4 years but nothing has compared to the last 14 months.

She is on drugs as a "band aide" because there is no cure.... this is a childhood illness and with proper physical and mental therapy, love and support she should come out of this okay sometime in her late teens/early 20's. Many nights I am awaken by her crying from pain in her sleep, she often needs the support of a walker and on super bad days she uses a wheelchair, she needs help up stairs and sometimes cant sit on the toilet, her body is giving up on her and I see her spirit challenging her on a daily basis, I can no longer carry her to the bathroom or up any stairs, and we are all so very tired but she never stops trying and continues with the day knowing this is her life right now.

The last 14 months, with the exception of small spurts of relief, have been nothing short of a living hell for her, for me, for her dad and for any relationship that we tried to hold on to while living with a loved one with a chronic illness. Im often amazed that I can go to work or cope with my daily activities because of this but I use Ela as my inspiration many days, knowing that we don't allow her to give up, so I cant either.

With all of this said, we have been given the opportunity to go on a "healing" vacation. Focusing on detoxing her from the drugs she has been on and hopefully with natural medicine, yoga, massage, sun, warmth, ocean and food, Ela will finally feel real relief from the pain she has been in.... I am literally selling the farm in order for us to do this and just tonight came up with the idea that I would have a garage sale this Saturday to help pay for this trip.

I have been very private, we have been very private about this only looking to family and close friends for support. As always, I cherish that emotional support of my friends and family but what I am asking for this time is that any of you, who live local, donate things for the garage sale. I am willing to drive anywhere in Central Oregon to pick stuff up and I will take ANYTHING, as we all know, "someone's trash is someone else's treasure"!!

Ela and I will be forever grateful to your donations. And maybe you will feel a little something special for being a part of this... hopefully her, our life transforming and healing trip.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I created a direct link for Stephanie so we can all help "Healing Ela 2013" be actualized to it's fullest potential! Thank you, Kelly

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=8Y8QV8WLWU6JJ&lc=US&item_name=Healing+Ela+2013&currency_code=USD&bn=PP-DonationsBF%3Abtn_donateCC_LG.gif%3ANonHosted