On Friday, our 16-year-old baby sister, Elle, was suddenly left paralyzed from the neck down.

Elle was at a trampoline place doing flips in the foam section but suffered no fall or obvious injury. Within 15 minutes she experienced sudden severe back pain followed by loss of feeling in her arms. She was taken to the ER where she was still able to walk, but soon lost the ability to move her legs.

Ever since, Elle has been in the Trauma ICU undergoing countless tests as she is still completely paralyzed below her neck. Her doctors are doing everything they can & bringing in every specialist to try to figure out the cause. The biggest concern at this time is that her diaphragm is of course also paralyzed, so it's not helping her breathe. This means she could grow tired of breathing and require intubation.

Elle's diagnosis is still uncertain after a spinal cord injury was ruled out for now. She was initially thought to have a spinal stroke, but after more tests, her doctors now suspect a potential autoimmune disease that is presenting in an extreme, critical, and rare way and attacking her spine. She is on a high dose of steroids and receiving plasmapheresis. However ultimately her diagnosis is still unknown.

She is going to have a very long road ahead of her in the hopes of regaining function. We are praying and hoping for the best. Her life changed in minutes. Please help support her through recovery that will include continued hospitalization until she is able to be transferred to a rehab facility for intensive physical therapy.

Elle is a competitive dancer on her high school dance team, and she hopes to dance again.

Thank you so much.