Aida’s Medical Expenses

Hi everyone. One year ago our mother was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, Scleroderma. Specifically, diffuse systemic sclerosis. This rare disease results in chronic hardening and tightening of the skin, connective tissues and internal organs, which can ultimately be fatal if left untreated. In the span of 4 months she was completely disabled, unable to walk, bend over, and use her hands. While there is no known cure we spent all of last year battling this disease, trying to find a treatment that helped. In July we were referred to the Mayo Clinic where she qualified for a life saving bone marrow transplant. This involved daily drives to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida where we spent 8 or more hours a day going from appointment to appointment. In the meantime we watched as our mother withered away, losing 40lbs in 3months, losing her hair, and experiencing difficulty breathing due to the rapid deterioration of her lungs, which were functioning at 30% capacity. Our mother was able to receive the bone marrow transplant in October after a near-death complication. The bone marrow transplant is intended to halt the disease’s progression and while it was successfully completed we are still dealing with the everyday chronic damages that the Scleroderma left behind, leaving our mother not being able to walk/work/cook/perform basic needs for herself anymore. With that said, the Countless physical therapies and doctor visits to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville are adding up. Every few weeks we have to return to Jacksonville to check up on functionality of all her organs. The doctors who performed the transplant are doing further studies as this was the most aggressive case of Scleroderma they have ever seen. Even with my mom’s health insurance coverage we unfortunately do not have enough to cover the consequent costs of travel, medical bills, mortgage, and utilities. For reference, due to the magnitude of her condition she needs the best health insurance plan which is a payment of $800 per month. Our mother is our biggest asset, she has the biggest heart, dedicates her time helping others, and is the funniest person we know. In fact, in Venezuela they call her La Chispa, because she brightens up everyone’s day. She is everything to us and so many more. She has always provided for our whole family here and everyone in Venezuela. Without her being able to work for over a year it has been a big financial hit for our family and we could use any help from anyone during this very difficult time. We would use the funds to make sure our mother’s health insurance is getting paid in order to make sure all the psychical therapy, all the medicines, and treatments are being provided. Any means to provide a full recovery!! We truly appreciate any help you can provide and thank you from the bottom of our hearts!