My name is Jaimie Krieger, I'm 24 years old and I was recently diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) or more commonly known as Lupus. SLE is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects major organs such as the brain, lungs, heart, kidneys, joints, and skin. In SLE, your body's immune system cannot distinguish the healthy tissue from the foreign invaders therefore it mistakenly attacks the body's healthy tissue. As a result, this causes inflammation, extreme pain, and damage to the organs. Lupus is also a disease of flare ups (the symptoms worsen and you feel ill) and remissions (the symptoms improve and you feel better).

Prior to my diagnosis, my body has been through more than I would have imagined in the last couple of years. The signs and symptoms started many years ago between me getting sick way more than I have ever been sick to being overwhelmingly exhausted and having extreme fatigue. More so recently, my SLE has progressed far more quickly and worse than my rheumatologist expected. This past June I landed in the hospital with extreme abdominal pain to the point where I felt as if someone was stabbing me. After a CT scan, I found out I had colitis and needed to get into a GI specialist. Colitis is inflammation of the colon. Two weeks following colitits, I woke up one morning and couldn't put any pressure or weight on my right knee. After an MRI and what my orthopedic doctor was 95% sure it was a torn mensicus, I found out that I had a very large amount of inflammation in the joints of my knee, which was why I was in the amount of pain I was in. A week following the joint inflammation, my entire body broke out with a horrible, itchy, and painful rash, which was yet again inflammation of my skin. And just when I thought it couldn't get worse, my throat swelled up, I was in horrible pain to the point where I couldn't swallow, and I had a horrible urinary tract infection on top of everything. All of these issues have transpired over the last two months and I have only gotten worse. My body aches to the point where going up the stairs is a challenge and some days something I cannot do. I am overwhelmingly exhausted and suffer from extreme fatigue. This past week, it has been a challenge for me to simply get out of bed in the morning and go take a shower. My hair has been falling out in clumps, which is also normal in lupus and I have had memory issues and confusion as well. I have suffered from "lupus" fevers and daily headaches every day for the past week, which has made me very weak and exhausted. As a result, I have not been working my full hours or any if that some weeks since my diagnosis and being as sick as I have been. I love my job, but it is so terribly hard to take care of others when you can't take care of yourself. I was hesistant to make a GoFundMe account because I didn't want to share my diagnosis with everyone, but both my family and I need any and all the help we can receive right now. Overall, this disease has been physiologically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting. I have not felt like myself or any way a normal, healthy 24 year old should feel. I just want to feel better and be myself again. 

I'm asking you to please donate anything you can even if it is just five dollars. My family and I need help with covering the costs of my medication, the fact that I haven't been able to work my full hours, and the therapies I will need in the future. I have been started on steroids, lupus medications, and anti-inflammatory medications within the last week. Hopefully by next week, I will be starting the therapy course of IV infusions, which has been proven to show great results for people battling with lupus. Money is a major issue right now because I just recently started a new job therefore I do not qualify for disability, intermittent paid leave, or any paid leave for that matter. Any time I'm unable to go to work because of this, it is unpaid leave. Therefore, I'm desperately asking for your help.

I would be more than extremely grateful for all and anything any one of you would be able to donate to my family and I. Thank you for reading this and god bless you all.