Fish fry at Rowan church Saturday to benefit teen with rare and painful medical condition

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - The annual fish fry at Grace Lutheran Church in Rowan County on Saturday will go towards helping a 16-year-old girl who suffers from a rare and painful medical condition.

Emma Myers has been diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. It is described by the National Institute of Health as “excess and prolonged pain and inflammation that follows an injury to an arm or leg. CRPS has acute (recent, short-term) and chronic (lasting greater than six months) forms. CRPS used to be known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and causalgia. People with CRPS have changing combinations of spontaneous pain or excess pain that is much greater than normal following something as mild as a touch. Other symptoms include changes in skin color, temperature, and/or swelling on the arm or leg below the site of injury. Although CRPS improves over time, eventually going away in most people, the rare severe or prolonged cases are profoundly disabling.”

Friends and family say Emma is making progress with her treatments and that her prognosis is good. Those treatments cost more than $3,000 a week, on top of other expenses taken on by family members while living near the treatment facility in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

This Saturday’s event is the 13th annual Men on Missions Fish Fry. Proceeds will go towards Emma’s medical bills and other expenses. Fish dinners that include fish, fries, slaw, and dessert will be available for dining inside or for carry-out. There will also be a raffle with a number of items.

The event is Saturday, October 9th, starting at 4:00 p.m. A fish plate for adults is $12, $6 for kids. Hot dogs will also be available.

The church is located at 3020 Grace Church Road in Rowan County. Parking shuttle service is available. For more information, call 704-213-1262.