£3,240 raised
·39 donations
Let's help Mindy pay for her stem cell therapy!
Donation protected
Let’s help Mindy!
I, Pamela Rogers, am starting a GoFundMe for my amazing sister Mindy Rogers Simpkins, who has bravely battled Lupus since she was a bright-eyed high-schooler studying ballet. That’s us in the photo above the last time we were together 5 years ago.
In 1972, our mother’s frantic call came from the Morehead City Hospital that Mindy was in terrible pain with every movement. She was soon transferred to Duke Hospital where she endured a battery of tests, yet still the doctors weren’t sure what was wrong with her. Even now, it can take years for a person with lupus to get an accurate diagnosis. “A lupus diagnosis can be devastating and life-changing. Today, it means a life spent waiting for new medical advances while managing life-long and potentially fatal symptoms.” https://www.lupus.org
By the age of 30, Mindy was happily married to her high-school sweetheart Edward and mother of their 2 daughters. She had a special education degree and was named Director of a Nationally Accredited Pre-school, while also teaching creative movement. Her life changed drastically when she was diagnosed definitively with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Fibromyalgia. She loved her work, yet as the illness progressed with unpredictable longer-lasting flares, she finally had to give up teaching.
At present she and her husband live in Northern California where he currently works as a Community Manager. Due to unfortunate circumstances and the costs of the many therapies for Lupus (not all covered by insurance), their savings has been depleted. Mindy’s quality of life has been greatly diminished due to severe pain throughout her body. She and her husband feel blessed to have 4 young grandchildren, although their married daughters and their families live in North Carolina and the Netherlands. Even if Mindy could afford it, travel is impossible for her at this point. Mindy’s body is failing, yet her spirit is ever positive. I admire her greatly.
Due to years of chronic inflammation, muscle, nerve and connective tissue disease, she is not a candidate for the joint replacement surgery that her insurance would cover.
Recent tests with a new doctor show that she is a good candidate for stem cell therapy! The downside is that her insurance does not cover it, as it is still considered experimental. The procedure will begin with the knees, as she struggles to walk. The cost of stem cell therapy and Bone Marrow Aspirated Concentrate (BMAC) procedure is $4,000. It will be a wonderful surprise and relieve her worries if we can raise enough money before March to get this therapy for her.
Can you help? Your Help Needed
This is where WE as her family, friends and other concerned individuals with big hearts can come together and DONATE. We want Mindy to be able to have this treatment and to be able to function normally and with less pain, as soon as possible. She has suffered enough! LET’S ALL COME TOGETHER AND DONATE TO HELP MINDY PAY FOR THIS PROMISING TREATMENT, SO SHE CAN FOCUS ON LIVING THE LIFE SHE DESERVES.
WE LOVE YOU MINDY AND ARE PRAYING FOR YOU EACH AND EVERY DAY!!!
Love, Pamela and Francis
I, Pamela Rogers, am starting a GoFundMe for my amazing sister Mindy Rogers Simpkins, who has bravely battled Lupus since she was a bright-eyed high-schooler studying ballet. That’s us in the photo above the last time we were together 5 years ago.
In 1972, our mother’s frantic call came from the Morehead City Hospital that Mindy was in terrible pain with every movement. She was soon transferred to Duke Hospital where she endured a battery of tests, yet still the doctors weren’t sure what was wrong with her. Even now, it can take years for a person with lupus to get an accurate diagnosis. “A lupus diagnosis can be devastating and life-changing. Today, it means a life spent waiting for new medical advances while managing life-long and potentially fatal symptoms.” https://www.lupus.org
By the age of 30, Mindy was happily married to her high-school sweetheart Edward and mother of their 2 daughters. She had a special education degree and was named Director of a Nationally Accredited Pre-school, while also teaching creative movement. Her life changed drastically when she was diagnosed definitively with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Fibromyalgia. She loved her work, yet as the illness progressed with unpredictable longer-lasting flares, she finally had to give up teaching.
At present she and her husband live in Northern California where he currently works as a Community Manager. Due to unfortunate circumstances and the costs of the many therapies for Lupus (not all covered by insurance), their savings has been depleted. Mindy’s quality of life has been greatly diminished due to severe pain throughout her body. She and her husband feel blessed to have 4 young grandchildren, although their married daughters and their families live in North Carolina and the Netherlands. Even if Mindy could afford it, travel is impossible for her at this point. Mindy’s body is failing, yet her spirit is ever positive. I admire her greatly.
Due to years of chronic inflammation, muscle, nerve and connective tissue disease, she is not a candidate for the joint replacement surgery that her insurance would cover.
Recent tests with a new doctor show that she is a good candidate for stem cell therapy! The downside is that her insurance does not cover it, as it is still considered experimental. The procedure will begin with the knees, as she struggles to walk. The cost of stem cell therapy and Bone Marrow Aspirated Concentrate (BMAC) procedure is $4,000. It will be a wonderful surprise and relieve her worries if we can raise enough money before March to get this therapy for her.
Can you help? Your Help Needed
This is where WE as her family, friends and other concerned individuals with big hearts can come together and DONATE. We want Mindy to be able to have this treatment and to be able to function normally and with less pain, as soon as possible. She has suffered enough! LET’S ALL COME TOGETHER AND DONATE TO HELP MINDY PAY FOR THIS PROMISING TREATMENT, SO SHE CAN FOCUS ON LIVING THE LIFE SHE DESERVES.
WE LOVE YOU MINDY AND ARE PRAYING FOR YOU EACH AND EVERY DAY!!!
Love, Pamela and Francis
Donations
Organizer and beneficiary
Francis Broun
Organizer
Melinda R. Simpkins
Beneficiary