IAIN'S MEDICAL BILLS FUND
Donation protected
Hi, My name is Toni Norton and I created this GoFundMe account for my friend, Priva Tarbet. All funds donated will flow directly to her son, Iain's account.
My Son Iain
My name is Priva Tarbet. I'm starting this Gofundme for my son, Iain. Iain is a great young man. I'm so proud of him. He's always made it his business to lend a hand when it's needed. He's very community minded. From the time he was 13 he attended the Zayante Volunteer Fire Department drills, even though he was too young to officially volunteer. As soon as he was eligible he jumped in and became a full-fledged, well trained firefighter.
He's the first person to raise his hand when help is needed in the community for cleanups, helping out to fix someone's car, you name it, Iain can be counted on to assist. He's well loved by all.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Less than two years ago Ian was on top of the world. He's married to the love of his life. He and his lovely bride found the perfect home right in the community he’d grown up in and loved. He lives close to the entire family. He lives right across Lompico from Mike and me, his sister and her husband are really close in Ben Lomand and his grandma is in Scotts Valley. We're a very close, supportive family and spend a lot of time together. He also landed the job of his dreams as a bus mechanic working for Santa Cruz Metro. Iain LOVES cars. He's worked on engines since he was 10 years old. He and his dad rebuilt a 1966 Charger.
Then suddenly with no warning Iain's whole world went tupsy turvy and he's still tumbling down the rabbit hole with no end in sight.
How it Began:
It all started at the end of 2014. At 31 years old Iain suddenly contracted reactive arthritis. He was frozen in pain as every joint was inflamed. He was admitted to Dominican Hospital and spent three nights in agony as the doctors tried to figure out what was wrong. He couldn't even push the button to call the nurse. His white blood cell count was more than 21,000, an average adult is 7,000.
Finally the doctors uncovered a medication to treat the reactive arthritis which appeared to be a miracle drug and almost completely took away the pain. But the doctors did advise Iain that the drug would increase his white blood cell count. The doctors sent Iain home, even though in addition to the white blood cell count issue, they knew that while in the hospital he had contracted an intestinal bacterial infection. At this point they were leaning towards the possibility of leukemia, which was later ruled out.
Iain came home, couldn't eat solid foods for 6 weeks and lost 25 pounds. In his weakened state he was subjected to several tests ending with an upper endoscopy. I dropped Iain off at home into the care of his wife Jess. The next morning he called to say he was bleeding. I rushed him back to the hospital and we discovered he was bleeding internally. He required two blood transfusions. This time he was in the hospital for 9 nights.
After the 6th night Iain appeared to be getting better and we even thought he might be released the next day. Out of the blue, right after lunch he had a grand mal seizure. He was subjected to more tests but the seizures continued. They flooded Iain's veins with drugs in an attempt to control them. One doctor came in to check on Iain and said they almost lost him a couple of times. They finally threw up their hands and sent him home with the seizures out of control.
For those of you that don't know, let me explain what a grand mal seizure looks like... Iain's entire body becomes rigid with his head thrown back, his arms and legs shaking. As a mom, this is the most frightening thing I've ever experienced and I just stand there helplessly watching.
The next morning, Iain woke up with the seizures continuing non-stop. Iain's wife and I rushed him to Stanford Hospital Emergency Room. Next came a barrage of specialists and more tests. Iain saw a neurologist, a psychologist and a plethora of other doctors we can't remember. He was admitted to the hospital. The Hospitalist finally recommended that Iain be examined by a doctor whose specialty is diagnosing difficult to identify conditions (ala House). She diagnosed Iain's condition as Functional Neurological Disorder, which is extremely rare.
Finally in June of 2015 we had the diagnosis and the treatments could begin.
IN THE MEANTIME…
That perfect job that Iain landed? It’s gone. The organization was great. They kept him on as long as possible so he could continue to be on the medical insurance. His friends and peers were wonderful. and even donated their own vacation time so he could continue to stay on the medical insurance as long as possible. We were all hoping this was temporary and he'd be back to work soon. Everyone knew how much Iain loved the job and wanted to keep him.
PROGNOSIS
At this point, the doctors still don't know when or if Iain will completely recover from this horrible condition. We can only hope and pray that he will continue to improve enough to eventually have a semi-normal life and go back to work. It's such a rare condition that it's doubtful that a cure will be found.
The treatment consists of attending weekly group therapy sessions at Stanford in Palo Alto, 50 miles each way. The group consists of four patients with Functional Neurological Disorder and three doctors. One of the patients fly in from the Shasta, California area. A wonderful organization pays for her weekly flight on a private plane.
For the most part I drive Iain to his therapy sessions which is an all day event, 11:30am to 4:30pm. In addition, Iain has three doctor appointments locally each week. Thank goodness I retired just in time.
Iain is also under a large number of medications, at this point 10 different prescriptions daily. This has been going on for over a year now. I would say that from the time his seizures started to today, Iain's condition has improved about 75%. However, he still can't drive, he still has seizures but they're no longer constant.
The medications also have side-effects. Iain is always feeling drowsy and just doesn't feel like himself. He also has constant involuntary movements, which is very tiring and kills his back.
EXPENSES
Thank goodness Jess has a steady job that she loves, but Iain and Jess's expenses far exceed her single salary. Iain is now covered by her medical insurance. Unfortunately to add Iain to the coverage increased their expenses by $400 per month. During the first year Iain was entitled to State Disability, but that is long gone.
Iain's total monthly medical expenses, including the increased insurance cost is $1,780.
Our entire family is helping out Iain and Jess financially. Our great hope is that they can hold onto to their house. Mike and I are retired and on a fixed income. My mom, Iain's grandma has been a tremendous help. But, Iain and Jess still have their mortgage payment and the incredibly expensive medical bills which aren't going away anytime soon.
Iain has hired a Social Security/Disability Attorney because he's been denied permanent disability twice. If his attorney is successful that will be a great help and put Iain and Jess in better shape. The attorney tells us that he has not yet been able to schedule a court date because the courts are more than a year behind.
OUR REQUEST TO YOU
We would appreciate so much for you to help Iain with his medical bills during this difficult time. Any amount would be greatly appreciated. We're hoping that with your help Iain will be able to hold on until he's successful in winning his permanent disability case with Social Security. Thank you SO much for your help. Please send your prayers and positive vibes Iain's way.
My Son Iain
My name is Priva Tarbet. I'm starting this Gofundme for my son, Iain. Iain is a great young man. I'm so proud of him. He's always made it his business to lend a hand when it's needed. He's very community minded. From the time he was 13 he attended the Zayante Volunteer Fire Department drills, even though he was too young to officially volunteer. As soon as he was eligible he jumped in and became a full-fledged, well trained firefighter.
He's the first person to raise his hand when help is needed in the community for cleanups, helping out to fix someone's car, you name it, Iain can be counted on to assist. He's well loved by all.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Less than two years ago Ian was on top of the world. He's married to the love of his life. He and his lovely bride found the perfect home right in the community he’d grown up in and loved. He lives close to the entire family. He lives right across Lompico from Mike and me, his sister and her husband are really close in Ben Lomand and his grandma is in Scotts Valley. We're a very close, supportive family and spend a lot of time together. He also landed the job of his dreams as a bus mechanic working for Santa Cruz Metro. Iain LOVES cars. He's worked on engines since he was 10 years old. He and his dad rebuilt a 1966 Charger.
Then suddenly with no warning Iain's whole world went tupsy turvy and he's still tumbling down the rabbit hole with no end in sight.
How it Began:
It all started at the end of 2014. At 31 years old Iain suddenly contracted reactive arthritis. He was frozen in pain as every joint was inflamed. He was admitted to Dominican Hospital and spent three nights in agony as the doctors tried to figure out what was wrong. He couldn't even push the button to call the nurse. His white blood cell count was more than 21,000, an average adult is 7,000.
Finally the doctors uncovered a medication to treat the reactive arthritis which appeared to be a miracle drug and almost completely took away the pain. But the doctors did advise Iain that the drug would increase his white blood cell count. The doctors sent Iain home, even though in addition to the white blood cell count issue, they knew that while in the hospital he had contracted an intestinal bacterial infection. At this point they were leaning towards the possibility of leukemia, which was later ruled out.
Iain came home, couldn't eat solid foods for 6 weeks and lost 25 pounds. In his weakened state he was subjected to several tests ending with an upper endoscopy. I dropped Iain off at home into the care of his wife Jess. The next morning he called to say he was bleeding. I rushed him back to the hospital and we discovered he was bleeding internally. He required two blood transfusions. This time he was in the hospital for 9 nights.
After the 6th night Iain appeared to be getting better and we even thought he might be released the next day. Out of the blue, right after lunch he had a grand mal seizure. He was subjected to more tests but the seizures continued. They flooded Iain's veins with drugs in an attempt to control them. One doctor came in to check on Iain and said they almost lost him a couple of times. They finally threw up their hands and sent him home with the seizures out of control.
For those of you that don't know, let me explain what a grand mal seizure looks like... Iain's entire body becomes rigid with his head thrown back, his arms and legs shaking. As a mom, this is the most frightening thing I've ever experienced and I just stand there helplessly watching.
The next morning, Iain woke up with the seizures continuing non-stop. Iain's wife and I rushed him to Stanford Hospital Emergency Room. Next came a barrage of specialists and more tests. Iain saw a neurologist, a psychologist and a plethora of other doctors we can't remember. He was admitted to the hospital. The Hospitalist finally recommended that Iain be examined by a doctor whose specialty is diagnosing difficult to identify conditions (ala House). She diagnosed Iain's condition as Functional Neurological Disorder, which is extremely rare.
Finally in June of 2015 we had the diagnosis and the treatments could begin.
IN THE MEANTIME…
That perfect job that Iain landed? It’s gone. The organization was great. They kept him on as long as possible so he could continue to be on the medical insurance. His friends and peers were wonderful. and even donated their own vacation time so he could continue to stay on the medical insurance as long as possible. We were all hoping this was temporary and he'd be back to work soon. Everyone knew how much Iain loved the job and wanted to keep him.
PROGNOSIS
At this point, the doctors still don't know when or if Iain will completely recover from this horrible condition. We can only hope and pray that he will continue to improve enough to eventually have a semi-normal life and go back to work. It's such a rare condition that it's doubtful that a cure will be found.
The treatment consists of attending weekly group therapy sessions at Stanford in Palo Alto, 50 miles each way. The group consists of four patients with Functional Neurological Disorder and three doctors. One of the patients fly in from the Shasta, California area. A wonderful organization pays for her weekly flight on a private plane.
For the most part I drive Iain to his therapy sessions which is an all day event, 11:30am to 4:30pm. In addition, Iain has three doctor appointments locally each week. Thank goodness I retired just in time.
Iain is also under a large number of medications, at this point 10 different prescriptions daily. This has been going on for over a year now. I would say that from the time his seizures started to today, Iain's condition has improved about 75%. However, he still can't drive, he still has seizures but they're no longer constant.
The medications also have side-effects. Iain is always feeling drowsy and just doesn't feel like himself. He also has constant involuntary movements, which is very tiring and kills his back.
EXPENSES
Thank goodness Jess has a steady job that she loves, but Iain and Jess's expenses far exceed her single salary. Iain is now covered by her medical insurance. Unfortunately to add Iain to the coverage increased their expenses by $400 per month. During the first year Iain was entitled to State Disability, but that is long gone.
Iain's total monthly medical expenses, including the increased insurance cost is $1,780.
Our entire family is helping out Iain and Jess financially. Our great hope is that they can hold onto to their house. Mike and I are retired and on a fixed income. My mom, Iain's grandma has been a tremendous help. But, Iain and Jess still have their mortgage payment and the incredibly expensive medical bills which aren't going away anytime soon.
Iain has hired a Social Security/Disability Attorney because he's been denied permanent disability twice. If his attorney is successful that will be a great help and put Iain and Jess in better shape. The attorney tells us that he has not yet been able to schedule a court date because the courts are more than a year behind.
OUR REQUEST TO YOU
We would appreciate so much for you to help Iain with his medical bills during this difficult time. Any amount would be greatly appreciated. We're hoping that with your help Iain will be able to hold on until he's successful in winning his permanent disability case with Social Security. Thank you SO much for your help. Please send your prayers and positive vibes Iain's way.
Organizer
Toni Norton
Organizer
Felton, CA
