My name is Penny Crutchley my husband is Charles; we live in Frederick County MD with our 3 daughters. On 6/2/2015 we were told by one of the doctors at Wilmer Eye Institute at John Hopkins in Baltimore MD that our 10 year daughter Courtney has Juvenile Open Angle Glaucoma in its severe stages.



Glaucoma is when fluid does not drain properly from the eye and causes pressure to build up. This pressure damages the optical nerve and can lead to vision loss or blindness. Glaucoma is very rare in children it generally happens to older people. There is no cure for Glaucoma the damage to the eye and vision loss that my daughter has cannot be corrected. Treatment to prevent more damage and vision loss will go on for the rest of her life.



Courtney’s eye pressures were in the 60’s eye pressure should be between 12 & 20 depending on the patient. Courtney was put on 3 types of eye drops to bring down the pressures. From June 2 to July 14 we had a few visits to John Hopkins doing test and pressure readings on July 14th we were told Courtney would need surgery. Surgery is scheduled for August 3rd. Courtney will get a drainage tube put in her eye to create an area where the fluid can drain out. After surgery we will have frequent follow ups to John Hopkins.



We are very concerned that we will not be able to afford the out of pocket cost of the insurance and the cost of the appointments and medicines. We have a 2 hour round trip (more if there is traffic) to get to John Hopkins and back home. The cost of gas, parking, high co-payments and high deductible and missing so many hours from work adds up fast. There will be more expenses down the road and most likely she will need more surgeries.



Donations of any amount would be greatly appreciated to help meet the family’s financial needs and offset any out of pocket medical expenses. Please continue to pray for Courtney and keep our family in your thoughts and prayers



Thank You



The Crutchley’s

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