Help Emily Fight Lyme
For those of you that don't know her Emily is a wife, sister, friend, and registered nurse. She works on a neuroscience ICU. She loves her job and feels as though she is able to give back to so many people through her nursing skills. What many people don't know is that she has been sick for some time and more recently it has affected her ability to work and even made daily life a bigger struggle.
Emily has been fighting Lyme disease ever since she was diagnosed with it in December of 2008. Basic treatment was one month of antibiotics and symptoms briefly resolved. Over the last several years symptoms have been progressing to include debilitating arthritis, cardiac involvement, neuromuscular dysfunction, and some cognitive disabilities. The symptoms that bother her the most are the tremors, difficulty with balance, difficulty swallowing, altered sense of taste, muscle weakness, neuropathy, neuralgia, and mental fog.
After seeing over 15 doctors from what seemed like every specialty, in June 2012 Emily began long term oral antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease. Symptoms slowly began to improve, but then halted and regressed. We decided to change doctors to Dr. Jemsek out of DC who is one of the foremost Lyme specialists in the world. After further testing it was determined that the infection has progressed to her brain. Oral antibiotics are not as effective against Lyme that has progressed to involve the central nervous system and long term IV antibiotic antibiotics are required to fight the infection.
Unfortunately, health insurance does not cover the expensive IV antibiotics that are required to help eliminate the bacteria in her brain. Costs for IV medications typically average $35,000.00 over a 7-month time period and so we have made that our goal. We need your help to raise money for these medications and treatments so that Emily can get better and enjoy the rest of her life and also continue to give back by working as a nurse. If you are unable to donate please consider posting a link on your facebook, myspace, or twitter page to help us spread the word. Thank you so much for your donations and support!
Not only has Emily been dealing with Lymes she's been dealing with breast tumors and recently had her 5th & 6th tumors removed. Currently she is having a liver tumor monitored by MRI every 6 months to watcinng for growth to determine if we need to operate. We cannot biopsy due to location and the highly vascular nature of the liver. She has also been dealing with neck injury from being assaulted by a patient in the ICU. Every 6 months receiving cervical spine cortisone injections and trigger point injections for her back.
It has been a difficult road and Emily and close-knit team of supporters have been strong. Please donate if you can and if you can't spread the word share what it is about this story that catches your eye.
