Local toddler fights against rare disease

Pyper Womack is a three-year-old girl who has been battling a rare medical condition called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) since 2017.

Acute flaccid myelitis is a “polio-like” illness that affects the spinal cord, the part of the nervous system that carries messages to and from the brain. It causes a large amount of muscle weakness and paralysis.

She is the only child in Yuma County to have this condition and constantly has to go back and forth to Phoenix for treatment. This is because the hospitals in Yuma don’t have the resources for this specific condition.

Her family is currently going through many financial hardships in order to be able to pay for the medical bills.

Wendi Womack, Pyper’s mom, said that she wants to use this experience to raise awareness for this condition to other parents.

“I wouldn’t want any parent to go through what we went through in the beginning to something so unknown,” said Womack. “That’s my biggest concern for the Yuma community is that it can happen anywhere, to any child.”

According to the CDC, there have been increases in AFM cases every two years since 2014 and it mostly affects young children.

Despite her fight, Womack says Pyper continues to be an optimistic girl.

Fortunately, Womack was blessed with the opportunity to take Pyper to see a special pediatric neurologist in Dallas who can help her with an inpatient rehabilitation program.

If you would like to support Pyper and her family you can visit her Facebook page here and donate to her GoFundMe.