MEEKER | Life moves at a different pace these days for sixth-generation Meeker resident Kaysyn Chintala, who until recently rarely slowed down. The 30-year-old mother of two spent most of her life on the move — excelling in high school and college basketball, building a thriving photography business, and helping her family operate Trappers Lake Lodge.
As a child, she endured a bout with Kawasaki disease, a rare illness that causes inflammation in the blood vessels and required treatment at St. Luke’s Hospital in Denver. During treatment she had an allergic reaction to an IV medication, and doctors discovered a heart deformity that required ongoing monitoring. With regular checkups, she remained active and healthy into adulthood.
One day in 2023 she awoke with her eyes swollen completely shut, the skin stretched so tight it began to peel. She’d been working with hay bales — not unusual for the time of year — and assumed it was allergies. The symptoms came and went throughout the summer. She started immunotherapy for allergies, which were increasing in frequency and severity, leading to anaphylactic reactions.
And then the seizures started. They came in clusters, and seemed to be triggered by stress or fear. In the midst of a cluster, she was admitted to St. Mary’s Hospital.
“It kind of fried my brain,” she said. “I couldn’t read for several weeks. I couldn’t bathe myself. I couldn’t stand up for more than five minutes at a time. I was very, very dependent on everybody around me.”
Doctors ruled out epilepsy. Several medications were tried, many leaving her in a heavy fog while the seizures continued to come and go. Near the end of November, she had another severe “flare,” as she calls the episodes, that continued through the holidays and into January.
“It’s very unpredictable and very variable. Like, I might be great for two weeks, three, and function normally, and then something can set off my system, and then I’ll be out for two months, to the point I can’t get out of bed.”
Initially, she was diagnosed with a “functional neurological disorder,” a kind of catch-all term that covered most of her symptoms but didn’t offer a plan for treatment. After seeing multiple specialists at UC Health-Anschutz in Denver, tests are pointing to a rare autoimmune disorder called dermatomyositis. She’s also been diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
“I guess it’s like a storm of all of these dysfunctions, and they’re maybe thinking it’s from Kawasaki. They’re not sure. It might just be genetic disposition. I didn’t receive a Covid shot, so that’s off the table,” she said, noting that people have asked and made assumptions.
Chintala says what’s sustaining her through the uncertainty isn’t medicine alone, but faith.
“I wholeheartedly believe in the power of prayer, and He’s a healing God. I will be fully healed. Is it gonna be a long road? Probably, but that’s OK. He’s gonna be there with me.”
She’s also focused on staying grounded — spending less time on her phone and more time outside with her horses, which she calls its own kind of therapy; seeing the world through her daughters’ eyes; and leaning on the faith and community that show up when she admits, “I’m struggling.”
As doctors continue narrowing down diagnoses, new treatments are becoming available. That’s the good news. The difficult part is the cost. Chintala is covered by Medicaid and grateful for the care it provides, but it doesn’t cover travel to specialists or lost income when her symptoms leave her unable to work for days or weeks at a time.
In classic Meeker fashion, friends and family have organized a fundraiser and silent auction, “Cupcakes and Cowgirls,” on March 21 from 4–7 p.m. at the 4-H Building in Meeker, featuring live music by Hannah Haupt and Caitlyn Taussig — a chance for the community that raised her to help carry her through the next chapter.
Lifelong Meeker resident Kaysyn Chintala, pictured here with her daughters, has been fighting a mysterious neurological health condition with unpredictable setbacks since 2023. In the midst of uncertainty, she’s learned the power of faith and community in facing an ongoing crisis.
