Young Ky. woman battles two extremely rare health conditions

A young Kentucky woman is facing an uphill battle to fight two extremely rare health conditions, one affecting her blood and the other her liver,  Phil Pendleton reports for Lexington’s WKYT-TV.

Pendleton reports that Brayli Steberl, a 21-year-old student at Campbellsville University, was sick for four years before they figured out that she had a blood disorder called paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, which causes part of her own blood to attack her, and Budd-Chiari syndrome, a liver condition that causes the veins in her liver to be blocked by blood clots.

Both conditions are extremely rare, and it’s even more rare to have both together — and, they are also extremely expensive to fight. Steberl has a  GoFundMe page to help her pay medical costs.

Steberl’s mother, Kathy Long, told Pendleton that treatments cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and insurance co-payments cost $80,000. She has seen doctors in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee and will likely face more travel in the future.

Long also told Pendleton that her daughter’s faith is so strong. She said, “Her desire is to just truly serve the Lord. She said this isn’t going to stop me. It is going to be part of the journey.”