Please help with life saving meds.
Donation protected
I’m Jill Brenneman. I am a long time activist for sex worker human rights. Unfortunately, today I am again asking for your help due to catastrophic medical issues. Since this last campaign I have had heart surgery, have suffered 1 full stroke and multiple Trans Ischemic Attacks.(mini strokes) Whatever time I have left in my life (my condition is life threatening) and any chance to extend it depends on expensive medications Zeralto, Lovenox and Co-Plavix. At this point I have degraded to the point of needing a home health care aide, therefore, I am once again asking you for your help. Any amount helps. The full explanation of my medical condition is below. My insurance will only cover coumadin which has proven to be unsuccessful in preventing new clots and a cause of major new bleeds and softball size bruises. This has left me completely disabled.
Just before Easter 2014 I began experiencing sharp back pain. The pain ultimately was related to a chronic health issue. Since 2007, I have been prone to Deep Vein Thrombosis, DVTs in the legs from long flights. In 2007 the first DVT that I suffered traveled to my lung and became lodged there. Once a blood clot reaches the lungs it becomes a Pulmonary Embolism which is highly life-threatening. It is treated with blood thinners.
In 2010 a much larger Pulmonary embolism formed that left me hospitalized in critical condition for days. To protect me from further risk doctors inserted a filter in the Inferior Vena Cava Vein to catch the clots before they get to the lungs. The filter was intended to be temporary but my health insurance expired before it could be removed. I was supposed to stay on blood thinners for life after 2010 but again lack of health insurance made that impossible. It has been speculated by doctors that the broken filter may have played a major part in this health crisis. The broken filter can not be removed
Just before Easter 2014 I developed acute back pain and went to a local hospital ER. I was also constantly fainting and had acute pain in my thigh. I assumed the pain was perhaps causing the fainting.
The hospital ran tests and quickly determined that the Inferior Vena Cava and peripheral veins that run the length of my legs were entirely blocked as the blood had literally dried in the veins and turned into enormous clots stretching from both feet to the filter in my chest. I learned in that hospital visit that the cause of my back pain was that a piece of the titanium filter had broken off and was lodged in my spine and thus the filter was very weak. I later learned that broken IVC filters can cause massive clotting and death.
After consulting with multiple physicians, surgeons, vascular specialists, internists and primary care, I learned that there is no treatment for the catastrophically devastated veins. They are totally blocked and will be for life. There is no treatment for this because it is so massive in size effecting 1/2 my body. There is no surgery and no medication treatment to repair this. Blood is minimally flowing through peripheral veins but those are clotting too and extremely painful. There is no longer anything prohibiting clots from getting to my lungs. Each clot in the lungs has a 1 in 3 fatality risk. All that can be done is take blood thinners to try to prevent new clots and pain killers.
The broken filter could give way and allow the whole process into my lungs at any time and be immediately fatal, or my body could slowly shut down over a period of weeks to a few months. Or I could get absurdly lucky with a perfect case allowing for perhaps a year
However, since learning this in mid-May 2014 my condition has continued to worsen. The feared recurrence of blood clots in my lungs has now happened as a new clot has formed. I learned this week that the cause of my constant passing out and acute chest pain is a clot in my heart. Because of the blood clot in my lungs they can not send me into emergency surgery to clear the clot in my heart. Perhaps that can be done in a month if the clot in my lungs breaks up and assuming nothing else goes wrong. In December I suffered the first of a series of Trans Ischemic Attacks (mini strokes) followed by a full stroke of which I am trying to recover. However, I desperately need very expensive bloodwork and medications of which my insurance doesn't cover.
My income is a small amount of Social Security Disability and partial Medicare coverage. I do not qualify for Medicaid.
Thus I am asking you, if you can please donate any amount, no matter how small, it would help me afford to pay the large co-pays for doctor’s visits, medications, food, shelter, rides from taxi services rather than taking the high risk of driving. While I have never been one to easily ask for help I desperately could use any donation, no matter how small at this point. While my condition is life threatening and I am not expected to live much longer any help that can be given is help that can perhaps give me a bit more time or at least reduce the pain and have my condition stabilize.
Sincerely
Jill Brenneman
Just before Easter 2014 I began experiencing sharp back pain. The pain ultimately was related to a chronic health issue. Since 2007, I have been prone to Deep Vein Thrombosis, DVTs in the legs from long flights. In 2007 the first DVT that I suffered traveled to my lung and became lodged there. Once a blood clot reaches the lungs it becomes a Pulmonary Embolism which is highly life-threatening. It is treated with blood thinners.
In 2010 a much larger Pulmonary embolism formed that left me hospitalized in critical condition for days. To protect me from further risk doctors inserted a filter in the Inferior Vena Cava Vein to catch the clots before they get to the lungs. The filter was intended to be temporary but my health insurance expired before it could be removed. I was supposed to stay on blood thinners for life after 2010 but again lack of health insurance made that impossible. It has been speculated by doctors that the broken filter may have played a major part in this health crisis. The broken filter can not be removed
Just before Easter 2014 I developed acute back pain and went to a local hospital ER. I was also constantly fainting and had acute pain in my thigh. I assumed the pain was perhaps causing the fainting.
The hospital ran tests and quickly determined that the Inferior Vena Cava and peripheral veins that run the length of my legs were entirely blocked as the blood had literally dried in the veins and turned into enormous clots stretching from both feet to the filter in my chest. I learned in that hospital visit that the cause of my back pain was that a piece of the titanium filter had broken off and was lodged in my spine and thus the filter was very weak. I later learned that broken IVC filters can cause massive clotting and death.
After consulting with multiple physicians, surgeons, vascular specialists, internists and primary care, I learned that there is no treatment for the catastrophically devastated veins. They are totally blocked and will be for life. There is no treatment for this because it is so massive in size effecting 1/2 my body. There is no surgery and no medication treatment to repair this. Blood is minimally flowing through peripheral veins but those are clotting too and extremely painful. There is no longer anything prohibiting clots from getting to my lungs. Each clot in the lungs has a 1 in 3 fatality risk. All that can be done is take blood thinners to try to prevent new clots and pain killers.
The broken filter could give way and allow the whole process into my lungs at any time and be immediately fatal, or my body could slowly shut down over a period of weeks to a few months. Or I could get absurdly lucky with a perfect case allowing for perhaps a year
However, since learning this in mid-May 2014 my condition has continued to worsen. The feared recurrence of blood clots in my lungs has now happened as a new clot has formed. I learned this week that the cause of my constant passing out and acute chest pain is a clot in my heart. Because of the blood clot in my lungs they can not send me into emergency surgery to clear the clot in my heart. Perhaps that can be done in a month if the clot in my lungs breaks up and assuming nothing else goes wrong. In December I suffered the first of a series of Trans Ischemic Attacks (mini strokes) followed by a full stroke of which I am trying to recover. However, I desperately need very expensive bloodwork and medications of which my insurance doesn't cover.
My income is a small amount of Social Security Disability and partial Medicare coverage. I do not qualify for Medicaid.
Thus I am asking you, if you can please donate any amount, no matter how small, it would help me afford to pay the large co-pays for doctor’s visits, medications, food, shelter, rides from taxi services rather than taking the high risk of driving. While I have never been one to easily ask for help I desperately could use any donation, no matter how small at this point. While my condition is life threatening and I am not expected to live much longer any help that can be given is help that can perhaps give me a bit more time or at least reduce the pain and have my condition stabilize.
Sincerely
Jill Brenneman
Organizer
Zeta Igriega
Organizer
Las Vegas, NV
