Lori Dunn Castello Mayo Fund
Donation protected
I'm watching my wife slowly waste away from a disease our doctors can't identify. They've referred us to the Mayo Clinic because it's our best chance to find a diagnosis and hopefully, treatment.
Lori's no stranger to pain; she's been sick her entire life. Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Degenerative Disc Disease, Interstitial Cystitis, and the list goes on. But she didn't let pain or illness stop her from building a life and a career.
We married in 2008 and had 2 good years before her health began the down hill slide that landed us here today. After a year of fighting it, Lori finally gave in and left her 10 year career as a high school teacher. She applied for disability early retirement and was approved in 2011. Although her small monthly stipend helped, it was a huge financial blow for our family.
Even then, when she spent most of her days in the bathroom or in the bed, she didn't give up. She and her best friend wrote a book and were going to self-publish it. But despite the numerous doctors' appointments and tests, she continued to get sicker and sicker and sicker. Her writing is on hold for now.
Last September she had an IBS attack so horrific, she called an ambulance because she feared she had a blockage. We thought she had been sick before, but we had no idea how bad it could and would get.
She's lost 40 pounds since then and can't eat any solid food without getting violently ill. The nutritional shakes which have kept her alive are now making her sick, too. She has fever spikes as high as 103, her joints swell and crack and bleed, she has headaches so severe that she faints from the pain, and her beautiful hair is falling out in clumps. On top of her diagnosed illnesses, she's suffering the effects of malnutrition, too.
And all the doctors can say is "We don't know."
We were never wealthy, but we were managing on two salaries until Lori became too sick too work. In 2011 we spent over $20,000 in medical bills despite our insurance. Last year we spent $14,000.
Going to Mayo may very well break us - we're already living paycheck to paycheck. Our credit cards are maxed out. But it's the only chance we have to save her.
So I started this page to try to raise the money to get us to Mayo without losing the house in the process. I know $30,000 is a huge amount of money. We're figuring around $5,000 for travel and lodging, $10,000 - $20,000 for the Mayo medical bills, and then the last $5000 to pay some of the medical bills on our credit card.
I don't know if it's possible to raise this much money, but I do know we will be eternally grateful for any amount you can spare to donate, no matter how small.
Lori's no stranger to pain; she's been sick her entire life. Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Degenerative Disc Disease, Interstitial Cystitis, and the list goes on. But she didn't let pain or illness stop her from building a life and a career.
We married in 2008 and had 2 good years before her health began the down hill slide that landed us here today. After a year of fighting it, Lori finally gave in and left her 10 year career as a high school teacher. She applied for disability early retirement and was approved in 2011. Although her small monthly stipend helped, it was a huge financial blow for our family.
Even then, when she spent most of her days in the bathroom or in the bed, she didn't give up. She and her best friend wrote a book and were going to self-publish it. But despite the numerous doctors' appointments and tests, she continued to get sicker and sicker and sicker. Her writing is on hold for now.
Last September she had an IBS attack so horrific, she called an ambulance because she feared she had a blockage. We thought she had been sick before, but we had no idea how bad it could and would get.
She's lost 40 pounds since then and can't eat any solid food without getting violently ill. The nutritional shakes which have kept her alive are now making her sick, too. She has fever spikes as high as 103, her joints swell and crack and bleed, she has headaches so severe that she faints from the pain, and her beautiful hair is falling out in clumps. On top of her diagnosed illnesses, she's suffering the effects of malnutrition, too.
And all the doctors can say is "We don't know."
We were never wealthy, but we were managing on two salaries until Lori became too sick too work. In 2011 we spent over $20,000 in medical bills despite our insurance. Last year we spent $14,000.
Going to Mayo may very well break us - we're already living paycheck to paycheck. Our credit cards are maxed out. But it's the only chance we have to save her.
So I started this page to try to raise the money to get us to Mayo without losing the house in the process. I know $30,000 is a huge amount of money. We're figuring around $5,000 for travel and lodging, $10,000 - $20,000 for the Mayo medical bills, and then the last $5000 to pay some of the medical bills on our credit card.
I don't know if it's possible to raise this much money, but I do know we will be eternally grateful for any amount you can spare to donate, no matter how small.
Organizer
Shane Castello
Organizer
Zachary, LA
