My name is Jane Ratcliffe and I’m a writer and teacher. I have head and brain injury that derailed my life. I’m headed to Baltimore to receive advanced care from the creator of a new protocol that is helping me a lot. I’ve struggled with myriad challenges for nearly thirty years, many debilitating, and have spent upwards of $500,000 on my health trying to return to a normal life. This is a staggering amount for anyone, especially a writer and teacher. I have always figured out a way to pay but since this trip requires a substantial outlay of cash all at once and it’s happening the week before Christmas and I, like most people with chronic health challenges, have no savings, I need help.

Some background should you need it:

About thirty years ago, I was in a furniture showroom and a gigantic tabletop mounted on a wall snapped its rope and fell on my head. I will leave out the details in the hopes of brevity, but this was in the days before the football players were all over the news and as hard as it is to imagine now, very little was known about head and brain injury back then, even by many doctors. So I didn’t receive proper care. I also didn’t sue. I had no idea what my life was about to become. Nor did the friends and family surrounding me. By the time the full spectrum of complications set in, it was too late to sue. And so many of the challenges I still struggle with were deeply embedded in my body.

It would take pages to fully describe all that I’ve lived through. They include, but are not limited to, years of non-stop debilitating head pain (woke up with it, went to bed with it), years of daily flipping-and-spinning vertigo (at night, I would have to lie in bed stiff as a board so the room wouldn’t move), years of constant drunken sailor vertigo, severe memory loss (I often couldn’t find my way home when I was a street away), decade of massive insomnia (my nervous system was completely blown, so in the beginning, I stayed awake for three or four days straight. As I grew healthier, I’d manage three to four hours a night.), inability to follow conversations involving more than one person, inability to drive, and so much more. Most of these were happening simultaneously. I truly don’t know how I’ve survived all that I have. I come from tough stock!! My parents both grew up in London during WWII.

It would likewise take pages to describe my experiences with doctors. The majority said I had a severe head injury, that I was feeling the best I would feel and going forward I would only get worse. One said, I would most likely end up bedridden. Luckily, I also met and was guided by two extraordinary doctors. Under their care, and my own hard work of figuring out how to heal, I have improved tremendously and have accomplished things I was told weren’t possible.

This requires daily at home protocols as well as regular care from doctors and various practitioners. Due to pre-existing conditions, until Obamacare, I had no insurance. And even with insurance, so much of the care I require isn’t covered.

I’m hoping to raise $3,500 to cover the cost of the treatment, the airfare, lodging, and car rental.

I’ve never done anything like this and am feeling so many feelings about creating this GoFundMe. I was raised to always be self-sufficient but having chronic health challenges in America doesn’t allow for that.

Thank you so much for reading this. I’m grateful for any support you might be able to offer. I’m humbled. Thank you. ❤️