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A GoFundMe page for seven-year-old Alena Robles said the Forked River girl was in a coma at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. Her family wrote that she began feeling sick on Sunday, Mar. 10, and woke up with a headache the next day before having several seizures.
Robles was rushed to the hospital's intensive care unit and doctors said her flu infection has caused severe encephalitis.
"The medical team is working tirelessly to combat the swelling in her brain, desperately trying to give her a chance to wake up," the girl's family wrote on the GoFundMe page. "This sudden and devastating turn of events has left our family reeling emotionally and financially."
The GoFundMe page had raised more than $10,500 from at least 215 donations as of Wednesday, Mar. 20. The money will go toward the "mounting medical bills" the Robles family is facing, according to the fundraising campaign.
The family was also facing financial hardships because Alena's aunt and cousins were still recovering financially from the August 2023 wildfires in Maui, Hawaii.
"Please pray for Alena," the GoFundMe page said. "Everything counts. Thank you for opening your hearts during this difficult time."
You can click here to see the GoFundMe page for Alena Robles.
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