DENVER -- ABC's 7 has awarded a Westminster woman $5,000 for her work to battle a rare condition.

"I've dedicated my life to the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Foundation," said Jean McCawley.

McCawley started the foundation in 1996, when the syndrome affected her 11-month-old daughter and caused her to go blind.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a rare, serious disorder of the skin and mucous membranes. Although the cause isn't always clear, it’s usually a specific type of allergic reaction in response to medication or infection.

In McCawley's daughter’s case, it was a reaction to a seizure medication which left Julie blind in the right eye.

McCawley had to pay for three eye surgeries just last year and the medical expenses for two other family members keep mounting.

Jean's youngest daughter, Kerry, is 8 years old and is a Brittle Type 1 diabetic recently diagnosed with Celiac's disease, another autoimmune disease.

Jean's husband, Dan, suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from rheumatoid fluid in his lungs.

Dan is the only source of income in the household. With his health failing, it's a daily struggle to keep things in perspective for Jean.

Medical appointments, prescriptions and procedures fill up the rest of her day when she's not volunteering from her home office.

"Our medical was over $11,000 out of pocket, just for co-pays, last year," said McCawley.

The Extreme Makeover: American Dream award of $5,000 will go toward those medical bills and has already been used to replace Kerry's failing insulin pump.

The new pump has already dramatically improved the quality of Kerry's life. Through tears, Jean said that the insulin pump is the best thing to ever happen for Kerry and the entire family since her diabetes was so difficult to manage without the device.

McCawley said the $5,000 will help the family tremendously, but in the end, her wishes are not tied to finances at all.

"My American dream would be a year of my children being completely healthy and no doctor's visits," she said.

The Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Foundation has also been awarded $5,000 by ABC 7. With the money, McCawley plans to print and distribute more fact sheets about Stevens-Johnson syndrome to hospitals throughout the country.

For more information on the foundation go to SJsupport.com.