Friends, family and others came to a carnival fundraiser on Manatee Avenue Saturday afternoon to help a 14-year-old Lupus patient raise $30,000 for stem cell treatment.
Moriah Goode suffers from the autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia.
She spoke at the event to give a heartfelt thanks to all who participated.
"Thank you for caring about me and loving me so much enough to help me and try to raise money. You are amazing, all of you," she said.
The carnival included music, rides, games and food.
It gave Moriah a chance to have fun with her friends, a rare treat due to her illnesses.
Moriah's stem cell treatment is not covered by her insurance plan.
"I'm terrified because some days my back goes numb and sometimes my whole body goes numb and my hands shake and I have tremors and I can't do anything to control it," she said.
As of Saturday afternoon, she raised $5,400 towards her goal.
Manatee High school student Emily Wakem never met Moriah before, but she heard her story and wanted to help.
"I got the Manatee High school Key Club to help donate and I talked to a lot of teachers. We passed a program and came up with this beautiful carnival to help raise money for her," she said.
Moriah's parents have tried other treatments for her illnesses, but without success.