One yard sale and $491.78 dollars later, and Skyler has a big start on helping to raise money to help find a cure for Rett Syndrome.

Saturday April 9th, a fundraising yard sale was held by Senior Skyler Blasingame. This yard sale was held as a senior project for her AP Literature class for Ms. Krause. Half the money raised was used to help find a cure for Rett Syndrome, the other half was used to help pay for anything her sister, who suffers from this disease, may need. The yard sale went smoothly and successfully, and Skyler raised $491.78! “It turned out really well. We got more than I expected.”

Her sister is a sweet little girl, about to be four, named Nevaeh. She was diagnosed in November of 2014 and as of now, she is unable to talk or walk. She has several appointments  every week  to go to speech and behavior, physical and occupational therapy and sees a neurologist daily, so any money donated to help her out would be greatly appreciated. In response to what her relationship with her sister is like, Skyler says, “Happy. I just try to make her smile and laugh. Make her feel like a normal little girl.”

According to rettsyndrome.org, “Rett Syndrome is a neurological disorder that is first recognized in infancy and seen almost always in girls, but can be rarely seen in boys.” It’s caused by “mutations on the X chromosome on a gene called MECP2”,  causing problems with the way brain functions, making speech, movement, breathing, and chewing  harder. “Rett Syndrome symptoms appear after an early period of apparently normal or near normal development until six to eighteen months of life, when there is a slowing down or stagnation of skills. A period of regression then follows when she loses communication skills and purposeful use of her hands. Other problems may include seizures and disorganized breathing patterns while awake.” There’s no cure yet.

You can read more about Nevaeh’s story on www.Gp2c.org/nevaehgrace. To donate money to Nevaeh you can also go to girlpower2cure.org to check out Girl Power 2 Cure, which helps out girls with Rett Syndrome. and you can find out how to donate to the cause and see what you can do to help. Check out the website and help Skyler and her family out. If anyone still wants to donate stuff to her they can just message her.