Becca's Chronic Lyme Treatment Fund
Donation protected
Hi, my name is Becca. I'm 28 years old, a college graduate, and have been married to my wonderful husband, Roger for almost 5 years. I love figure skating, reading, writing, listening to and writing Christian Hip-Hop, visiting my family, worshiping with my church family, and watching Kentucky Basketball games, to name just a few of my passions. Unfortunately, I am unable to do any of these things due to a disease that has been slowly ravaging my body (undiagnosed/misdiagnosed) for most of my life.
For many years, I was given countless diagnoses for (at the time, seemingly unrelated) issues, including juvenile idiopathic "we don't know why you have it but you have it" arthritis, trigeminal neuralgia/neuropathy, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, OCD, depression, social anxiety disorder and panic attacks, again, just to name a few. Nothing ever truly helped my pain or any other symptoms (physical or psychological), and nobody was willing to dig deeper and discover why nothing gave me the quality of life I still long for nor what was actually the underlying problem.
We learned only 4+ years ago (when I had to quit my job due to my worsening condition) that I have been suffering from Chronic Lyme Disease, as well as several related co-infections, since I was a young child. For a long time, the symptoms were manageable, but I now spend every day in my bed in debilitating pain (trigeminal neuralgia/neuropathy alone is called the "suicide disease" in the medical community because of the severity of the pain in causes, and in my case it encompasses all three branches, which means I've not been able to keep my right eye open without making the already-existent stabbing eye pain, worse, I have to wear earmuffs with a hot hands packet in the right pocket at all times to attempt to get relief from the same stabbing pain deep in my ear canal, and similar right-sided constant jaw/head/neck pain, and that only touches on the trigeminal nerve part of the equation--TN is, in my case, a byproduct of Chronic Neurological Lyme Disease and co-infections, and all of the traditional and non-traditional treatments such as medications, supplements, acupuncture, jawboone cavitation surgery, brain surgery, and other neurological procedures have either been unsuccessful or have been deemed to be unsuccessful in my particular case, so this one type of pain is the most debilitating) and am unable to do even the most basic tasks on my own.
My husband, Roger, is now my caregiver, in addition to working a full-time job (in fact, he had to type this for me). On most days, he not only has to prepare my meals for me, but also carry me to the bathroom because it hurts too much to walk or even crawl on my own. I often have trouble understanding and remembering things that I read, which devastates me as one who was an English major and is enamored with words and language, and when speaking aloud, I have extreme difficulty piecing my thoughts together, saying the opposite words/sentiment than what I mean, and am frequently unable to recall basic words I've known since I was a child. I can't have visitors because I have extreme sensitivities to light, sound, and smells (basically, if you use shampoo that has any scent whatsoever, use detergent from the store to wash your clothes, wear moisturizer or makeup that has a slight scent to it which most wouldn't ever detect, if your house has any candles or air fresheners in it and you've been in your house, giving it a chance to stick to your clothes, I can't be around you without my entire nervous system going into hyperdrive). I can't worship with my church family, Sundays and Wednesdays being the days I used to cherish most because of church activities, but I haven't been able to attend even one service for over a year, and it's been three years since I could go regularly. Leaving the house is too exhausting and the pain and sensory overload is too overwhelming. In other words, my life has been taken from me.
Treatment for this disease has not been easy, physically, mentally, spiritually, or financially. Roger and I are extremely thankful that God has given us parents and other family members that have been able to help us with our expenses along the way, but after 3 years, things just keep adding up. Considering all of my doctors visits (before finding my current doctor, who is wonderful, we made multiple trips tot he Cleveland Clinic, a trip to NYC, several trips a couple hours away here in Kentucky to see the doctor who first finally helped diagnose the underlying issues, most recently a trip to Detroit to meet with a neurosurgeon, and countless specialists both in and out of town--rheumatolgists, neurologists, pain management specialists, endocrinologists, opthamalogists, gastroenterologists, and many more) hotel rooms for those visits, including a 2-week hotel stay this past summer (2015) for 2 weeks of intensive daily IV treatments and other therapies at my doctor's office, gas money to travel to see aforementioned list of doctors as well as my current doctor (several hours away), treatments, monthly supplements and medications, and specialized food (due to multiple allergies/intolerances/sensitivities) which has drastically increased our grocery bill, unexpected ER visits and hospital stays, the out of pocket cost last year alone for my treatment was over $20,000. And that doesn't include costs like boarding our beagle, Lucy, when we have to take multiple overnight trips throughout the year, requiring a home Tyler Mountain Spring Water dispenser because the water in town contributes to my already toxin-filled body (there are chemicals in the water that have been there over two years, yet we were assured when we first received notice over two years ago, the problem would be solved in 6-9 months...we just recently got our fifth or sixth identical letter claiming the exact same thing, and mentioning that if you are immunocompromised--which I am, severely--you should not drink the water).
We have had countless friends, family members, church family members from multiple churches, coworkers of Roger's, my dad's, and my mom's, and more ask us to let them know if there is anything they can do to help. If you are one of those people and are reading this, know that we are always grateful for the offer, but given the multiple facets of my illnesses and the complexity of the issues I'm currently facing, Roger is generally the only person who is able to physically do anything the way it has to be done to avoid a flare up, panic attack/hallucination, or any other negative consequence as a result of my oversensitive system. We are beyond thankful for the offers to go shopping, fix meals, take me to appointments, and any other number of things that are generally considered helpful for many who are fighting chronic ilnesses, but with my dietary restrictions, sensitivities to light/smell/sound, inability to walk, currently, and requiring being carried to the car if I have to go to an appointment, we have to turn down offers of help, out of default, because there are so many aspects we're dealing with that only Roger (and my parents--who, thankfully, live in town--but there are times my mom isn't even able to come near me if she comes to my house at all because despite switching to natural hair products, soaps, and detergent, there is often some scent she picks up from being out in the "real world," or a scent no one else would notice that is engrained into the carpet at their house).
Roger and I are starting this GoFundMe page because, while our parents and other family members have been able to help us with some of the costs, it has taken a toll financially, larger than we ever could have imagined when everything came to a halt and life was put on pause 3+ years ago. So if you're one of the generous individuals who has offered to help us and have yet to receive an answer as to how you can help us, or if you're a person who doesn't know me at all but happens across this page, I'm telling you the number one way anyone can help: donating to this fund. We would like to be able to take a lot of the financial burden off of our families since we are our own household and, if I were able to work, would be able to cover my medical expenses ourselves, but I have the medical expenses due to conditions that prevent me from working (or leaving bed), so that's not a reality for us right now.
All money we are able to raise here will solely be used for medical treatments, monthly supplements and medications, costs associated with traveling to my doctor, any testing I have done, the specialized food (much of which I have to order online) mentioned above, and all other things related to my journey back to health from these diseases. It's a long, hard journey, and there are expenses yet to come that will continue to add to the already-existing financial burden. This fund will be ongoing until I am well again and am able to return the favor to others. Our goal is set at $10,000, and the generosity it would take to reach that goal would be more of a blessing than we can begin to comprehend, but if by chance you want to donate to help out and the original goal of $10,000 is met, we won't turn you away, because, as I said earlier, all of this money will go directly towards costs related to medical expenses and my journey to health and getting my life back. If God decides a miraculous spontaneous healing is my destiny and we have money left over on here after He has healed me, the money will be donated to one or more organizations who actively advocate for Lyme patients and tirelessly research treatments and ways to make the process easier, wuicker, and more effective, and/or shared with others who are in the same position we are: a young couple (or any sufferer) who has been able to get most of the treatments she needs due to a generous family who has been able to help out, but whose financial burden continues to increase, whose medical bills continue to pile up and come in the mail more often than utility bills or mortgage statements, and who desperately desires to relieve the financial burden we have placed on our families out of necessity. Of course our families are willing to help, but there is only so much any collective family (both sides) is able to do, and we want to be able to shoulder these costs ourselves, but we are now at a point where we need the help of others to do that.
We never for a moment doubt that God has a purpose and plan for all of this, and that healing is going to happen, but we know it's going to be in His time, not ours, no matter how impatient our human minds can be when it comes to wanting things (like healing) instantly. I'm not going to pretend that there aren't days I spend ubelievably frustrated, expressing to God that my strength and will to fight is gone, but when those days happen, I'm always glad to wake up the following day, be given another chance to continue the fight, and cling to the promise of healing, restsoration, and deliverance from the Ultimate Physician.
But until that day comes, Roger and I would both be eternally grateful for any assistance anyone who comes across this page can give. Even if it's just one dollar, that's one dollar more than we already have, and one dollar closer to whittling down the massive amounts of debt racked up by medical bills and one dollar closer to being able to receive all of the treatments and medications that will help continue to heal my body. And we understand that some may not even be able to give one dollar right now, in which case we ask for your prayer. Because every additional prayer warrior and prayer that's said is one prayer closer to God and to healing and life. So if you're wondering what you can do for us as we navigate this roller coaster of a journey, this would be the absolute most helpful place to start.
God bless,
Becca (and Roger)
(For more information on my journey, you can visit my website: Lyme is Lame . I'm not able to update/post as frequently as I'd like, but we are claiming 2016 as a year of significant healing, and with your support, that will be an even greater possiblity)
For many years, I was given countless diagnoses for (at the time, seemingly unrelated) issues, including juvenile idiopathic "we don't know why you have it but you have it" arthritis, trigeminal neuralgia/neuropathy, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, OCD, depression, social anxiety disorder and panic attacks, again, just to name a few. Nothing ever truly helped my pain or any other symptoms (physical or psychological), and nobody was willing to dig deeper and discover why nothing gave me the quality of life I still long for nor what was actually the underlying problem.
We learned only 4+ years ago (when I had to quit my job due to my worsening condition) that I have been suffering from Chronic Lyme Disease, as well as several related co-infections, since I was a young child. For a long time, the symptoms were manageable, but I now spend every day in my bed in debilitating pain (trigeminal neuralgia/neuropathy alone is called the "suicide disease" in the medical community because of the severity of the pain in causes, and in my case it encompasses all three branches, which means I've not been able to keep my right eye open without making the already-existent stabbing eye pain, worse, I have to wear earmuffs with a hot hands packet in the right pocket at all times to attempt to get relief from the same stabbing pain deep in my ear canal, and similar right-sided constant jaw/head/neck pain, and that only touches on the trigeminal nerve part of the equation--TN is, in my case, a byproduct of Chronic Neurological Lyme Disease and co-infections, and all of the traditional and non-traditional treatments such as medications, supplements, acupuncture, jawboone cavitation surgery, brain surgery, and other neurological procedures have either been unsuccessful or have been deemed to be unsuccessful in my particular case, so this one type of pain is the most debilitating) and am unable to do even the most basic tasks on my own.
My husband, Roger, is now my caregiver, in addition to working a full-time job (in fact, he had to type this for me). On most days, he not only has to prepare my meals for me, but also carry me to the bathroom because it hurts too much to walk or even crawl on my own. I often have trouble understanding and remembering things that I read, which devastates me as one who was an English major and is enamored with words and language, and when speaking aloud, I have extreme difficulty piecing my thoughts together, saying the opposite words/sentiment than what I mean, and am frequently unable to recall basic words I've known since I was a child. I can't have visitors because I have extreme sensitivities to light, sound, and smells (basically, if you use shampoo that has any scent whatsoever, use detergent from the store to wash your clothes, wear moisturizer or makeup that has a slight scent to it which most wouldn't ever detect, if your house has any candles or air fresheners in it and you've been in your house, giving it a chance to stick to your clothes, I can't be around you without my entire nervous system going into hyperdrive). I can't worship with my church family, Sundays and Wednesdays being the days I used to cherish most because of church activities, but I haven't been able to attend even one service for over a year, and it's been three years since I could go regularly. Leaving the house is too exhausting and the pain and sensory overload is too overwhelming. In other words, my life has been taken from me.
Treatment for this disease has not been easy, physically, mentally, spiritually, or financially. Roger and I are extremely thankful that God has given us parents and other family members that have been able to help us with our expenses along the way, but after 3 years, things just keep adding up. Considering all of my doctors visits (before finding my current doctor, who is wonderful, we made multiple trips tot he Cleveland Clinic, a trip to NYC, several trips a couple hours away here in Kentucky to see the doctor who first finally helped diagnose the underlying issues, most recently a trip to Detroit to meet with a neurosurgeon, and countless specialists both in and out of town--rheumatolgists, neurologists, pain management specialists, endocrinologists, opthamalogists, gastroenterologists, and many more) hotel rooms for those visits, including a 2-week hotel stay this past summer (2015) for 2 weeks of intensive daily IV treatments and other therapies at my doctor's office, gas money to travel to see aforementioned list of doctors as well as my current doctor (several hours away), treatments, monthly supplements and medications, and specialized food (due to multiple allergies/intolerances/sensitivities) which has drastically increased our grocery bill, unexpected ER visits and hospital stays, the out of pocket cost last year alone for my treatment was over $20,000. And that doesn't include costs like boarding our beagle, Lucy, when we have to take multiple overnight trips throughout the year, requiring a home Tyler Mountain Spring Water dispenser because the water in town contributes to my already toxin-filled body (there are chemicals in the water that have been there over two years, yet we were assured when we first received notice over two years ago, the problem would be solved in 6-9 months...we just recently got our fifth or sixth identical letter claiming the exact same thing, and mentioning that if you are immunocompromised--which I am, severely--you should not drink the water).
We have had countless friends, family members, church family members from multiple churches, coworkers of Roger's, my dad's, and my mom's, and more ask us to let them know if there is anything they can do to help. If you are one of those people and are reading this, know that we are always grateful for the offer, but given the multiple facets of my illnesses and the complexity of the issues I'm currently facing, Roger is generally the only person who is able to physically do anything the way it has to be done to avoid a flare up, panic attack/hallucination, or any other negative consequence as a result of my oversensitive system. We are beyond thankful for the offers to go shopping, fix meals, take me to appointments, and any other number of things that are generally considered helpful for many who are fighting chronic ilnesses, but with my dietary restrictions, sensitivities to light/smell/sound, inability to walk, currently, and requiring being carried to the car if I have to go to an appointment, we have to turn down offers of help, out of default, because there are so many aspects we're dealing with that only Roger (and my parents--who, thankfully, live in town--but there are times my mom isn't even able to come near me if she comes to my house at all because despite switching to natural hair products, soaps, and detergent, there is often some scent she picks up from being out in the "real world," or a scent no one else would notice that is engrained into the carpet at their house).
Roger and I are starting this GoFundMe page because, while our parents and other family members have been able to help us with some of the costs, it has taken a toll financially, larger than we ever could have imagined when everything came to a halt and life was put on pause 3+ years ago. So if you're one of the generous individuals who has offered to help us and have yet to receive an answer as to how you can help us, or if you're a person who doesn't know me at all but happens across this page, I'm telling you the number one way anyone can help: donating to this fund. We would like to be able to take a lot of the financial burden off of our families since we are our own household and, if I were able to work, would be able to cover my medical expenses ourselves, but I have the medical expenses due to conditions that prevent me from working (or leaving bed), so that's not a reality for us right now.
All money we are able to raise here will solely be used for medical treatments, monthly supplements and medications, costs associated with traveling to my doctor, any testing I have done, the specialized food (much of which I have to order online) mentioned above, and all other things related to my journey back to health from these diseases. It's a long, hard journey, and there are expenses yet to come that will continue to add to the already-existing financial burden. This fund will be ongoing until I am well again and am able to return the favor to others. Our goal is set at $10,000, and the generosity it would take to reach that goal would be more of a blessing than we can begin to comprehend, but if by chance you want to donate to help out and the original goal of $10,000 is met, we won't turn you away, because, as I said earlier, all of this money will go directly towards costs related to medical expenses and my journey to health and getting my life back. If God decides a miraculous spontaneous healing is my destiny and we have money left over on here after He has healed me, the money will be donated to one or more organizations who actively advocate for Lyme patients and tirelessly research treatments and ways to make the process easier, wuicker, and more effective, and/or shared with others who are in the same position we are: a young couple (or any sufferer) who has been able to get most of the treatments she needs due to a generous family who has been able to help out, but whose financial burden continues to increase, whose medical bills continue to pile up and come in the mail more often than utility bills or mortgage statements, and who desperately desires to relieve the financial burden we have placed on our families out of necessity. Of course our families are willing to help, but there is only so much any collective family (both sides) is able to do, and we want to be able to shoulder these costs ourselves, but we are now at a point where we need the help of others to do that.
We never for a moment doubt that God has a purpose and plan for all of this, and that healing is going to happen, but we know it's going to be in His time, not ours, no matter how impatient our human minds can be when it comes to wanting things (like healing) instantly. I'm not going to pretend that there aren't days I spend ubelievably frustrated, expressing to God that my strength and will to fight is gone, but when those days happen, I'm always glad to wake up the following day, be given another chance to continue the fight, and cling to the promise of healing, restsoration, and deliverance from the Ultimate Physician.
But until that day comes, Roger and I would both be eternally grateful for any assistance anyone who comes across this page can give. Even if it's just one dollar, that's one dollar more than we already have, and one dollar closer to whittling down the massive amounts of debt racked up by medical bills and one dollar closer to being able to receive all of the treatments and medications that will help continue to heal my body. And we understand that some may not even be able to give one dollar right now, in which case we ask for your prayer. Because every additional prayer warrior and prayer that's said is one prayer closer to God and to healing and life. So if you're wondering what you can do for us as we navigate this roller coaster of a journey, this would be the absolute most helpful place to start.
God bless,
Becca (and Roger)
(For more information on my journey, you can visit my website: Lyme is Lame . I'm not able to update/post as frequently as I'd like, but we are claiming 2016 as a year of significant healing, and with your support, that will be an even greater possiblity)
Organiser
Becca Jackson Doss
Organiser
Ashland, KY