Columbia Falls native battling rare autoimmune affliction

A Columbia Falls native is battling an autoimmune disease that has left her temporarily paralyzed from the waist down and has also impacted her throat and speech.

Mandy Townsley got sick about a month ago with a high fever of about 103. Shortly thereafter, she developed lesions on her spinal cord that left her paralyzed, said her aunt, Rhonda Stephens-Block.

Townsley, 35, lives in Tyler, Texas with her husband John Link. She has a doctorate and is a professor of history at the University of Tyler.

While the couple has insurance, Townsley’s condition is so severe it’s draining the couple’s finances, Stephen-Block said. Townsley graduated from Columbia Falls High School and Flathead Valley Community College. Her parents still live in town.

Stephens-Block said Townsley’s treatment consists of complicated blood transfusions, where doctors freeze her plasma and remove the antibodies and then put her blood back into her body.

As Townsley recovers, she’ll have to learn to walk again and even talk again. The lesions have also attacked the base of her brain, impacting her ability to speak.

Folks who want to help can visit her gofundme page at: https://www.gofundme.com/mandy039s-hospital-stay-amp-recovery