11/28/2025
Tuesday, December 2, 2025, is the annual Amazon Giving Tuesday. Amazon will match all donations made on or before that day. For me, asking for money is one of the hardest parts of managing a charitable non-profit. But it is the only way we are able to keep doing what we are doing. In March, 2017, we lost our daughter, Heather, due to complications related to a rare disease known as Takayasu's arteritis (TAK). To honor her memory and to help others who suffer from TAK, I created this 501(c3) non-profit. It is funded solely by donations and fundraisers like Giving Tuesday. I won't go into detail here about the disease and the way people are affected by it but I invite you to go to our page for more detailed information about Heather's TAK journey.
TAK is a very complicated condition that can affect any or all parts of the body. People with TAK are very vulnerable to strokes. On December 10, 2017, Heather suffered a massive right brain stroke which left her with permanent mobility issues to the left side of her body. Stroke can affect each person differently not only in terms of mobility and use of hands and arms but also with brain trauma both temporary and permanent. Along with some issues to her left side limbs, she also suffered some affects to her cognitive functions which, gratefully, with the help of therapy, were temporary. As one of her caregivers, I witnessed firsthand the struggles she went through to improve and regain her cognitive health. It was a difficult and often frustrating process. Working with therapists and other professionals, my husband and I have created a puzzle / game that can be used as a tool for therapists to use as an aid to cognitive rehabilitation. About a month ago, we introduced this game to medical professionals at the Minnesota Statewide Stroke Association Conference. Even though we had been working all along with therapy professionals and had gotten nothing but support and encouragement, it was still nerve wracking to share it for the first time publicly. The response was overwhelmingly positive! Conference attendees came from all over Minnesota and South Dakota and we had multiple requests about how they could have one of the games for use with their therapy patients.
We presently have a very limited number of games to distribute and they have all been spoken for. Beginning the first of the year, January, 2026, Steve and I will be traveling to South Dakota and several points in northern Minnesota as well as locations in the Minneapolis metropolitan area to deliver the games. Our goal is to DONATE games to any and all rehabilitation centers to aid cognitive rehabilitation therapy. And we have been invited to display the game at other conferences in 2026, one in Fargo, ND, as well as one in the local metro area. In light of the response we have received so far, we are in the process of upscaling production so we can have games to DONATE to rehab centers for multiple types of brain disorders.
We started with limited funds that have gotten us this far but in order to continue with our work, we will need financial help. If you can help by donating to this fundraiser, please do. No amount is too small. If you have questions and would like more information and details, please send us a message to [email protected].
Thank you,
Heather's mom and dad (Steve and Anna Fulton)
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