By Anna Gonzales |Staff Writer|
Aveline and Father Kevin De La Cueva.
Photo Courtesy of Misty Banks.
Students Kevin de la Cueva and Misty Banks seek donations to send their five-month-old child to Duke University to undergo a cord blood infusion.
Aveline de la Cueva was diagnosed at birth with four conditions: hydrocephaly, microcephaly, dysautonomia, and duplication of chromosome 15, gene 21.3.
All are “rare conditions that have never been seen all together in one person,” stated Banks via email.
“The doctors say that as far as they can tell, Aveline is the only child in the world to have all three of the diseases at the same time,” added Banks.
Hydrocephaly is a condition in which ventricles accumulate water in the brain, affecting its development, either mildly or severely, ranging from dyslexia to severe mental retardation.
“Microcephaly means abnormally small head circumference. In Aveline’s case, her small head circumference adds more pressure to her already delicate brain,” stated Banks.
Aveline and Mother Misty Banks.
Photo Courtesy of Misty Banks.
“Dysautonomia is an umbrella term used to describe several different medical conditions that cause a malfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System,” according to dysautonomiainternational.org
“It makes it incredibly difficult for her to control her heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and other standard autonomic nervous system jobs,” stated Banks.
Little research has been performed on chromosome 15 and gene 21.3.
This leaves Aveline’s doctors and parents unaware of how it may affect her future development but “she has already shown a decrease in brain activity for her age,” stated Banks.
Baby de la Cueva is in need of the infusion because “the cord blood has been know to regenerate brain cells and neural pathways damaged due to the hydrocephaly and microcephaly,” stated Banks.
“We are already in talks with the research team to get Aveline a date [for infusion],” stated Banks.
De la Cueva and Banks have recently begun working with a non-profit company and “have met little resistance from local restaurants and companies” who wish to help their cause, stated Banks.
The couple have plans on working with other companies like Chili’s, Shakey’s, and TGI Friday’s to set up fundraiser nights to obtain more money for Aveline’s infusion.
Photo Courtesy of Misty Banks.
A GoFundMe account has been set up by de la Cueva and Banks with a goal of reaching $15.8K to send their baby to Duke University for the infusion.
Baby de la Cueva’s GoFundMe account can be found at www.gofundme.com/Aveline.
Interested patrons who wish to help the family can also participate in an upcoming fundraiser photo shoot on
Sunday, February 8th from 12 to 3 p.m. at the Civic Plaza Park in Hesperia.
The de la Cueva family thanks everyone for their help throughout their journey.
“We are willing to do whatever it takes for us as parents to ensure our daughter, Aveline has as close to a normal future as possible,” stated Banks.
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