Keely Eckel, Paramedic, Fights Unknown Illness While Healing Others
Reason for setting up GoFundMe account
Keely Eckel, our daughter, is battling various, unknown medical conditions. She has suffered, off and on, for over 3 years. She runs fevers and can’t keep food down. Keely has been diagnosed with brucellosis but after 2 rounds of very strong antibiotic treatments, the symptoms have not abated. She has lost over 20 pounds in 2 months. After seeing 5 doctors in the last few months, no one was able to determine the cause or prescribe an effective treatment.
Keely is a Flight Paramedic and continues to save lives. Unfortunately, she has had to call off of work sometimes. Even though she pays over $600 a month for insurance, her medical bills have continued to pile up. Where Keely lives, near the Texas-Mexico border, there is a shortage of doctors who can help her. She needs to be able to go to a facility that can treat unusual conditions. She has seen several doctors in San Antonio and she has been told that she may need to go somewhere like the Mayo Clinic but her insurance will not cover the expense.
Keely's Medical History
Since Keely was 14, she has fought endometriosis, which has included 20 surgeries and a full hysterectomy at age 27. At age 18, during one of her endometriosis surgeries, a tumor was found and so she had another surgery for a ganglioneuroma tumor near her spine. In 2012, right after Keely was certified as a Paramedic, due to blurry vision, she went to her opthalmologist who diagnosed her with Pseudotumor Cerebri. That is a condition where her body produces too much spinal fluid which builds up, putting pressure on her optic nerves causing horrible headaches. If left untreated, it can cause blindness. Non-surgical treatments were not helpful so it was necessary to have a shunt placed in her brain. The shunt regulates the buildup of spinal fluid and stays implanted forever. The shunt helped but she continues to have bad headaches and sometimes her sight gets blurry. The only way to determine the pressure is by doing a spinal tap. Keely had this done recently and because she reacts negatively to the taps, she spent 2 1/2 days in the hospital.
Two and a half years ago, after a bout of fevers similar to what she is now experiencing, she was given a diagnosis of immune-deficiency syndrome. Medication for this condition is $10,000 for 2 months and insurance does not cover it. The treatment was discontinued because she was unable to afford it. Ultimately, after 1 1/2 years, the fevers spontaneously ended. They began again last June.
Keely's Life
Throughout all of these issues, Keely has studied to be a Paramedic and ultimately worked her way up to working on the helicopter now as a Flight Paramedic. She is the strongest, most caring woman I know. She keeps going and keeps finding ways to care for and save the lives of other people on a daily basis. Even though she feels badly a lot of the time, she puts on her makeup and puts on her gorgeous smile and most people don't even realize that she is sick unless they are very close to her.
Keely's Family Life
Keely recently became engaged to a wonderful young man, Jay, who is also studying to be a Paramedic. She and Jay live with their 2 dogs, Bella and Skye. When she can, she loves to get together with her brothers and their families in Austin. I am Keely's Mom, Tricia. Her father, Doug, and I are retired and live in Cedar Park, Texas.
How Can You Help
We would appreciate it if you would share this link on your Facebook timeline or other social media. www.GoFundMe.com/f/Keely-Eckel-Paramedic-Fights-Disease
We appreciate your help so much. Keely will be able to relax and continue to work at getting better if she doesn’t have to worry about losing her home because of mounting medical bills.
If you can donate to Keely’s fund – God Bless You! If you can’t, will you please share this link on your social media and God Bless You!
How Your Donation Will Be Used
Most of your donations will go directly to paying medical bills. Some of it will need to be used for everyday expenses due to the fact that Keely has to stay home because she is sometimes too ill to work. A record will be kept of what every dollar is used for.
Reason for setting up GoFundMe account
Keely Eckel, our daughter, is battling various, unknown medical conditions. She has suffered, off and on, for over 3 years. She runs fevers and can’t keep food down. Keely has been diagnosed with brucellosis but after 2 rounds of very strong antibiotic treatments, the symptoms have not abated. She has lost over 20 pounds in 2 months. After seeing 5 doctors in the last few months, no one was able to determine the cause or prescribe an effective treatment.
Keely is a Flight Paramedic and continues to save lives. Unfortunately, she has had to call off of work sometimes. Even though she pays over $600 a month for insurance, her medical bills have continued to pile up. Where Keely lives, near the Texas-Mexico border, there is a shortage of doctors who can help her. She needs to be able to go to a facility that can treat unusual conditions. She has seen several doctors in San Antonio and she has been told that she may need to go somewhere like the Mayo Clinic but her insurance will not cover the expense.
Keely's Medical History
Since Keely was 14, she has fought endometriosis, which has included 20 surgeries and a full hysterectomy at age 27. At age 18, during one of her endometriosis surgeries, a tumor was found and so she had another surgery for a ganglioneuroma tumor near her spine. In 2012, right after Keely was certified as a Paramedic, due to blurry vision, she went to her opthalmologist who diagnosed her with Pseudotumor Cerebri. That is a condition where her body produces too much spinal fluid which builds up, putting pressure on her optic nerves causing horrible headaches. If left untreated, it can cause blindness. Non-surgical treatments were not helpful so it was necessary to have a shunt placed in her brain. The shunt regulates the buildup of spinal fluid and stays implanted forever. The shunt helped but she continues to have bad headaches and sometimes her sight gets blurry. The only way to determine the pressure is by doing a spinal tap. Keely had this done recently and because she reacts negatively to the taps, she spent 2 1/2 days in the hospital.
Two and a half years ago, after a bout of fevers similar to what she is now experiencing, she was given a diagnosis of immune-deficiency syndrome. Medication for this condition is $10,000 for 2 months and insurance does not cover it. The treatment was discontinued because she was unable to afford it. Ultimately, after 1 1/2 years, the fevers spontaneously ended. They began again last June.
Keely's Life
Throughout all of these issues, Keely has studied to be a Paramedic and ultimately worked her way up to working on the helicopter now as a Flight Paramedic. She is the strongest, most caring woman I know. She keeps going and keeps finding ways to care for and save the lives of other people on a daily basis. Even though she feels badly a lot of the time, she puts on her makeup and puts on her gorgeous smile and most people don't even realize that she is sick unless they are very close to her.
Keely's Family Life
Keely recently became engaged to a wonderful young man, Jay, who is also studying to be a Paramedic. She and Jay live with their 2 dogs, Bella and Skye. When she can, she loves to get together with her brothers and their families in Austin. I am Keely's Mom, Tricia. Her father, Doug, and I are retired and live in Cedar Park, Texas.
How Can You Help
We would appreciate it if you would share this link on your Facebook timeline or other social media. www.GoFundMe.com/f/Keely-Eckel-Paramedic-Fights-Disease
We appreciate your help so much. Keely will be able to relax and continue to work at getting better if she doesn’t have to worry about losing her home because of mounting medical bills.
If you can donate to Keely’s fund – God Bless You! If you can’t, will you please share this link on your social media and God Bless You!
How Your Donation Will Be Used
Most of your donations will go directly to paying medical bills. Some of it will need to be used for everyday expenses due to the fact that Keely has to stay home because she is sometimes too ill to work. A record will be kept of what every dollar is used for.
Organizer
Tricia Boyce Eckel
Organizer
Cedar Park, TX