Meet Bethany

Bethany Burley, a 19-year-old female, who was recently hospitalized in September of last year due to a month of worsening symptoms including rash, weight loss, nausea, anemia, oral ulcers, dysphagia, and paresthesias. She was ultimately diagnosed with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) vasculitis with acute kidney injury, suggestive of granulomatosis with polyangiitis. ANCA vasculitis is a rare autoimmune condition where healthy small blood vessels are attacked by the body, potentially leading to widespread organ damage.

Bethany is currently under the care of an outpatient multidisciplinary medical team at Nationwide Children's Hospital for continued medical management. Her ongoing treatment includes outpatient chemotherapy infusion treatments and overall health follow ups. During her hospital stay, she underwent brief neuropsychological testing due to concerns about changes in cognitive functioning related to her medical condition.

The testing identified impairments in global reasoning abilities, short-term memory, visual motor integration, brief auditory attention, processing speed, and executive functioning skills. She is now likely presenting with new cognitive impairments, particularly in the areas of speed and executive functioning, as a result of her illness.