- C
- C
Hi my name is Amanda Swander. I am a married 35 year old former Licensed Practical Nurse and mother of two young boys, 3 and 8 years old. I stopped working as a Nurse on July 23, 2015, when I woke up from a nap mid-day and both of my legs were not working. Went to the emergency room and got a preliminary diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. I have been having medical issues for the past two years. One year ago, my left leg just suddenly stopped working, the cause of which is yet to be determined. I went to take an afternoon nap and woke up unable to walk. It was very upsetting. I have been going to doctor after doctor and none of them have been able to diagnose the cause. The last doctor that I was referred to was so complexed by my symptoms that he has referred me to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. This is why I have started this GoFundMe campaign to raise money to cover the costs which are estimated to be approximately $50,000 split 30-40k for travel 2, and 10-15k for medical expenses over the period which could be regular trips from Albany Oregon, 1850 miles with one way plane tickets due to the unknown duration of each visit.
I have always lived an active lifestyle, I can no longer participate in the hobbies I used to enjoy like scuba diving, playing soccer since I was 5, softball, swimming, cycling, and walking. Going from living an active lifestyle to that of a disabled person using my walker and wheel chair has been challenging for my self-esteem and has been a real challenge emotionally.
I am now using a wheelchair to get around. I can occasionally use a walker if it is a very short distance. Every day is a struggle. Why is every day a struggle? My daily routine starts at 7am along with my husband getting our two children ready
for the day which means breakfast, getting dressed, brushing teeth, getting my oldest his medications for his ADHD and allergies and getting him off to school which is in Salem which on average day is about a 25 minute drive each way. My husband takes him to school and I pick him up. Then my husband heads off to work early morning to late morning . The chronic pain significantly to brain fog, which limits my ability to focus on the task at hand. Caleb has to be at school by 8:30 a.m. from 9 to 1:30 I take care of my three year old which is stressful. It makes it very difficult to carry my three year old. From 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. I am taking care of both of my kids. Running the 8 year old to soccer practice twice a week, to the store with me to get my medications and groceries, bathing them, and getting them ready for bed. Their bedtime is at 8:00 p.m. though getting them to bed at that time is challenging. A lot of times I will crawl in my house from point A to point B because it is easier and it is much less of a risk than falling. When I am in my wheel chair he can sit on my lap. Driving is painful because to the neuropathy pain. I am not able to work right now due to the chronic pain, mobility and many complications. I am unable to go shopping unassisted when I have my kids due to the fact that I am unable to wheel in my wheel chair and push a cart at the same time as Ayden needs to be in a cart. On average I have anywhere from 1 to 4 doctor appointments a week. I do the household chores as well during the days while my husband works. I have physical therapy twice a week. I am always cleaning up after the kids, cooking is difficult because of the constant standing. I have to push through my day with all this pain because I am not able to take any pain meds because I have to drive. Have to walk very far without assistant devises, as the level of effort in my day increases the exhaustion and pain level increase substantially. At the beginning of the day my pain level is about a 3 and goes up to 6-8 in the evening on a scale from 0-10, 0 being no pain and 10 worst pain ever. Insomnia is another daily part of my life. I average about 4-5 hours of restless sleep. I go to bed at 8:00 p.m. and usually spend 3 to 4 hours trying to get to sleep. When my husband is early shift he helps with the kids with the evening routine. The big reason I am asking for help is because the medical cost for the travel and hotel stay. If the doctor is out of network insurance doesn’t cover the medical cost. Medical bills just keep adding up I have spent approximately 3k and have travelled thousands of miles seeking treatment. I am doing the best that I can without taking from my boys. I would desperately love to figure out what is causing my mobility, nerve and muscle issues. Securing an accurate diagnosis will significantly contribute to moving forward and allowing me to figure out how to move forward with life and better understand my new normal.I will have to travel several times for extended periods of time for testing and doctor visits. This will help me with travel, lodging, and all expenses while there for testing and medical expenses that are not covered by insurance. I at this time already have outstanding medical bills that we are paying on and copay for medications and Dr. Visits.
I have always lived an active lifestyle, I can no longer participate in the hobbies I used to enjoy like scuba diving, playing soccer since I was 5, softball, swimming, cycling, and walking. Going from living an active lifestyle to that of a disabled person using my walker and wheel chair has been challenging for my self-esteem and has been a real challenge emotionally.
I am now using a wheelchair to get around. I can occasionally use a walker if it is a very short distance. Every day is a struggle. Why is every day a struggle? My daily routine starts at 7am along with my husband getting our two children ready
for the day which means breakfast, getting dressed, brushing teeth, getting my oldest his medications for his ADHD and allergies and getting him off to school which is in Salem which on average day is about a 25 minute drive each way. My husband takes him to school and I pick him up. Then my husband heads off to work early morning to late morning . The chronic pain significantly to brain fog, which limits my ability to focus on the task at hand. Caleb has to be at school by 8:30 a.m. from 9 to 1:30 I take care of my three year old which is stressful. It makes it very difficult to carry my three year old. From 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. I am taking care of both of my kids. Running the 8 year old to soccer practice twice a week, to the store with me to get my medications and groceries, bathing them, and getting them ready for bed. Their bedtime is at 8:00 p.m. though getting them to bed at that time is challenging. A lot of times I will crawl in my house from point A to point B because it is easier and it is much less of a risk than falling. When I am in my wheel chair he can sit on my lap. Driving is painful because to the neuropathy pain. I am not able to work right now due to the chronic pain, mobility and many complications. I am unable to go shopping unassisted when I have my kids due to the fact that I am unable to wheel in my wheel chair and push a cart at the same time as Ayden needs to be in a cart. On average I have anywhere from 1 to 4 doctor appointments a week. I do the household chores as well during the days while my husband works. I have physical therapy twice a week. I am always cleaning up after the kids, cooking is difficult because of the constant standing. I have to push through my day with all this pain because I am not able to take any pain meds because I have to drive. Have to walk very far without assistant devises, as the level of effort in my day increases the exhaustion and pain level increase substantially. At the beginning of the day my pain level is about a 3 and goes up to 6-8 in the evening on a scale from 0-10, 0 being no pain and 10 worst pain ever. Insomnia is another daily part of my life. I average about 4-5 hours of restless sleep. I go to bed at 8:00 p.m. and usually spend 3 to 4 hours trying to get to sleep. When my husband is early shift he helps with the kids with the evening routine. The big reason I am asking for help is because the medical cost for the travel and hotel stay. If the doctor is out of network insurance doesn’t cover the medical cost. Medical bills just keep adding up I have spent approximately 3k and have travelled thousands of miles seeking treatment. I am doing the best that I can without taking from my boys. I would desperately love to figure out what is causing my mobility, nerve and muscle issues. Securing an accurate diagnosis will significantly contribute to moving forward and allowing me to figure out how to move forward with life and better understand my new normal.I will have to travel several times for extended periods of time for testing and doctor visits. This will help me with travel, lodging, and all expenses while there for testing and medical expenses that are not covered by insurance. I at this time already have outstanding medical bills that we are paying on and copay for medications and Dr. Visits.