Anyone who knows Katelyn Murphy can picture her smile. Katelyn’s smile can light up a room. But things are not going so well for Katelyn right now and she needs our help.



Katelyn grew up in Arlington and lived with her single mom and little brother. Katelyn was such a great help to her mom, always cooking and cleaning and helping to take care of her brother. This work ethic extended to her teenage years, when Katelyn got a job as soon as she was legal to do so. Always a hard worker, Katelyn wanted to be able to help out and have fun with her friends. Katelyn was always so fun to be around and she had a ton of great friends. When she wasn’t at school, at work, or home with her family, Katelyn was out with her friends.



Katelyn recalls a time in high school when she experienced a strange dizzy spell. She remembers that everything began spinning and she was concerned. But then, just as fast as it came on, it went away. So, like most kids, Katelyn didn’t worry too much about it. She graduated from Minuteman Tech and was so excited and proud to start nursing school at Salem State. It was during that first year of college that Katelyn began having symptoms of eye twitching and feet tingling. She went to her doctor and had an MRI on 12/24/97. On 12/26/97 she got the news that she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. MS is a degenerative disease involving the deterioration of the central nervous system. Katelyn was unsure what the future would hold for her. She knew that nursing was no longer something that she could pursue so she took the next year to work full time and attend night classes to Fisher College for Medical Record Keeping.



Katelyn spent the next 15 years coping with her MS. She would have good times and bad, suffering with relapsing-remitting MS. In 2000, at the age of 22, Katelyn met a man and fell in love. Katelyn knew that her doctor did not think that she should have children, but she had always wanted to be a mother more than anything. She became pregnant and was blessed with her daughter Emily in June of 2002. Emily is Katelyn’s pride and joy.



Since 2012, Katelyn’s MS has become secondary progressive. She now has difficulty with walking, talking and her eyesight has suffered. Katelyn can no longer do the things that she loves most of all. She can no longer drive or go anywhere alone. She can no longer cook a meal for her loved ones, or clean her home. She can’t write, can't read, and can’t even go to the grocery store. This woman, who at the age of 36, should have so many amazing experiences ahead of her, is in need of our help.



The money that you choose to donate here will help to pay for a new medical treatment that can offer hope to Katelyn’s future. Katelyn is an excellent candidate for this treatment, which uses stem cells, most often the patient's own stem cells, to help heal damage to the myelin that protects nerve cells. Healing this damage can help improve Katelyn’s quality of life and help prevent future relapses. Please help bring hope back to Katelyn by giving whatever you can to this fund. If you can’t donate, but still want to help, please share the link to this page on your social media accounts in order to spread the word.

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