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A New Bloomfield child is preparing for potential life-saving treatment in Italy.NEW BLOOMFIELD — Harper Kroeckel has been through a lot in her two and a half years.Harper has capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation syndrome, often called CM-AVM syndrome.According to the National Institutes of Health, CM-AVM syndrome is a rare genetic vascular disorder characterized by multiple small, pink-red skin spots and potentially more serious high-flow, abnormal blood vessel connections."It causes swelling, it causes daily pain, sometimes even bleeding and it causes her heart to work harder," Michaela Kroeckel, Harper's mother, said."It’s in every cell of her body so it can spread at any point in time." According to the National Institutes of Health, CM-AVM syndrome is thought to occur in at least 1 in every 100,000 people of northern European origin.The prevalence in other populations is unknown.When they found out how rare CM-AVM syndrome was, the Kroeckels said they were astounded."I just blacked out honestly, because I had never heard this term," Michaela Kroeckel said."They're telling me that my little, tiny baby, that's not even a year old yet, could have something that's going to spread to her brain." According to the University of Chicago Medicine, CM-AVM syndrome can be fatal if the fast-flowing vascular anomalies are left undetected.Serious cases involving the brain, spine or large vessels can lead to fatal hemorrhages, severe congestive heart failure or severe neurological impairment.In addition to going through genetic testing for both Michaela and her husband John, the Kroeckels weighed the different options to try and treat Harper's CM-AVM.According to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, surgery is a primary treatment option for managing CM-AVM syndrome.Surgery aims to remove the malformation, though procedures are often paired with embolization, blocking blood flow, to reduce risks.But for the Kroeckels, they said the risks of a surgery in the United States for Harper was too high.After speaking with two families, one of them being in Canada, the Kroeckels got into contact with Dr.Giacomo Colletti, a complex vascular malformations expert.According to the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, Colletti is one of the leading facial surgeons in Europe for complex vascular malformations.The Kroeckels said Colletti uses modified electrosclerotherapy, or MEST, which is an advanced treatment for complex malformations."It takes a bunch of tiny little needles and it injects the medicine and electrotherapy at the same time," Michaela Kroeckel said."What that does is it basically kills off those blood vessels that are tangled and causing all the pressure." However, to get that treatment, the Kroeckels said they would need to travel to Milan, which they said they plan to do in December.But the treatment comes with a cost."We're talking anywhere from $65,000 to $100,000 for this one trip to Italy," Michaela Kroeckel said.The family has started a GoFundMe for the cost of the trip and treatment but said their research and work means much more than Harper's case."It's not just Harper, it's kids across the U.S.that also need this help," Michaela Kroeckel said."That's why we want to share this and fight for it to get to the U.S." But according to her parents, Harper still has that nonstop energy and personality that makes her so special."She is so funny, like the things that she remembers," Michaela Kroeckel said."She wants to hold hands with her new friends and she wants to hug her new friends." The Kroeckels said they plan to be in Italy receiving the treatment for a minimum of 10 days.They also said they plan to travel to New York City in October to meet Colletti face-to-face for one more consultation before Harper receives the MEST treatment.