Fundraiser Launched For Malvern Girl Battling Disease

Malvern’s Taylor Kulp was, by all accounts, a strong, healthy athlete.

That was four years ago. It was about then that her health began to decline.

Since then, Kulp has been diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), giving her severe abdominal pain, and eventually leading to massive weight loss and the inability to eat.

Somehow, Kulp was able to fight through it and graduate from West Chester East High School, remain in the National Honor Society, and go to her senior prom after having gall bladder surgery.

However, after graduating in June of 2014, she was unable to attend Gwynedd Mercy University’s School of Nursing, as she had planned.

A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help her family pay for mounting healthcare expenses. Many holistic practices do not accept insurance:

Throughout this terrible ordeal, Taylor has remained positive and hopeful. Some days are tougher than others, yet with the support of family and friends, Taylor still manages to inspire us with her good humor and optimistic attitude. Her smile is infectious.

Taylor continues to have trouble eating due to severe pain which has resulted in more weight loss. Because of malnutrition and heightened abdominal pain, Taylor was admitted to Children’s Hospital Of Philadelphia in November 2014. Taylor had a specialized test and was given another medical diagnosis of Intestial Pseudo Obstruction. Two days after the diagnosis, Taylor had a Broviac Central Line inserted and started Total Parental Nutrition or TPN. TPN is a mixture of essential nutrients our bodies need. Taylor had TPN for 12 hours everyday to give her digestive tract a rest and she eventually gained back all the weight she lost. Although TPN gave Taylor the nutrients and weight she needed, it didn’t lessen the abdominal pain. In April 2015, TPN was stopped to see if Taylor could eat on her own, which hasn’t worked. Her weight is back down and she will soon be back on TPN.

Taylor continues to see multiple doctors to find answers and resolutions for all her complex medical conditions. To date (10/22/15) Taylor’s health is at it’s worst. Taylor’s POTS has been exacerbated, she has worsened abdominal pain, along with chronic migraines and other medical issues. We have now sought out the help of doctors who think outside the box and treat the “whole person”. Taylor now sees specialists in Virginia, Washington DC and New York – all of which are self pay and don’t take insurance.

The campaign, which was launched Tuesday, has a goal of $50,000. In the first 19 hours of the campaign, $395 has been raised.

To donate and learn more, click here.