Gianna "GG" Hines Fights Lyme
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First off, I want to say thank you for taking the time to visit this page. My name is Ruby Scherpinsky and I have created this GoFundMe for my friend, GG Hines. GG and I met during her senior year in high school when she began having sudden health issues. Two years later, she has finally been diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease and needs your help.
HOW WE GOT HERE...TWO YEARS LATER
Two years ago, GG was bit by a tick while on a camping trip to Wisconson and since then, I have watched GG struggle with many health issues beginning in November of 2015 when I first met her. These symptoms first started out as constant panic attacks, extreme food intolerances, hair loss, sudden weight loss, severe rashes, and suicidal thoughts just to name a few. She has seen at least 10 different physicians and specialists and has had countless tests done to discover what was causing her painful symptoms, not knowing it was Lyme Disease until just recently. She has continued to follow a supplement plan, detox regimens, strict diet plan, and has experimented with different healing protocols the past two years from these physicians, but has not found the relief she deserves. Because this diagnosis has taken so long to get, it has progessed to the chronic stage, which is known to be incurable. However, GG is a fighter and doesn't believe in incurable diseases and with your help, GG can reach a state of remission and maintenance with this illness.
After finding a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor after two years of searching for answers, GG began treatment with antibiotics, which she then had very severe reactions to. These reactions consisted of seizures, hallucinations, and much more. Publicly speaking, most people think antibiotics are the cure-all to killing Lyme, but this is not true for all patients, especially sensitive ones such as GG. This is why GG has decided to seek out alternative medicine as a healing avenue. In the past two years, GG has experienced probably close to 150 different symptoms, which is very common among Lyme patients. However, in the last three months, GG has started experiencing some very bizarre and frightening symptoms— burning pain in her brain, inability to form words, seizures, black outs, dizziness, extreme fatigue, joint pain, bell's palsy, tingling and numbness in her limbs, deeper depression and anxiety, and a variety of other weird neurological symptoms. After months of watching her struggle to keep the symptoms at bay, her body can no longer do what she asks it to do, leaving her physically and emotionally drained. GG has had to quit her job, drop out of college, and turn to friends and family for support, in order to put her health first.
Her latest health decline has brought us to the conclusion that she will need treatment in a facility that specializes in treating her severe symptoms in a more natural approach, which is not covered by insurance. Not only do ticks carry Lyme, but they also carry many co-infections, which will require further testing. GG's family has already spent well over $15,000 in the past 21 months for out of pocket doctor visits, treatment with supplements, and testing, and there is still much more that needs to be done. Funding this treatment has wreaked havoc on her family financially, not to mention emotionally. Since GG is unable to work, she needs our help to afford to gain her sense of independence back from this isolating disease.
If not treated aggressively and soon, this disease has the ability to make GG bed ridden for the rest of her life. I am seeking your help to raise funds for her treatment that practices integrative medicine combining the best of western medicine and natural medicine. She will have to continue strict detox protocols while ridding her body of this bacteria, which will most likely make her worse before she gets better. Although GG knows this is a tough battle to fight, she is doing all that she can to get to a point of optimal health. She strives to go and live her life to the fullest and relies on God and people she loves to get her through this awful illness. GG continues to praise Jesus, despite her daily suffering.
TREATMENT AND COSTS
GG will be undergoing treatment for multiple medical disorders: Lyme disease and several additional tick and mosquito-borne infections. The Hansa Center For Optimal Health is a treatment facility located in Wichita, Kansas that specializes in Chronic Lyme Disease, which is in GG's best interest as of now. Any money raised will go towards:
-Daily access to treating doctors/nurses
-IV and detoxification therapies
-High quality supplements
-Blood work, testing, and labs
-Doctor consultations -Travel expenses
Unfortunately, treatment for this disease and co-infections is extremely costly and is not covered by insurance, leaving GG's family to pay for consultations, blood work and labs, healing therapies, supplements, and medications. Chronic Lyme has no one size fits all cure, so this fundraising goal is a starting point and can easily change with treatment needs. The Hansa Center treatment facility charges $9,950 for two weeks of treatment. This is where GG plans on going for treatment, since being her own doctor has not gotten her to the place of healing where she needs to be. The Hansa Center projects most Chronic Lyme patients need treatment for 1-2 years, with each follow up visits averaging between $3,100-$5,500.

WHAT IS CHRONIC LYME DISEASE?
There are 300,000-500,000 new cases of Lyme diagnosed every year in the United States alone. For whatever reason, the medical community has decided to brush this disease under the rug and label it taboo. The CDC denies the existence of Chronic Lyme Disease, so insurance companies are not required to cover costs related to the disease. Patients spend an average of $53,000 per year out of pocket for tests, doctor visits, pharmaceuticals and supplements, which is why GG needs such funding. If not caught in the early stages, the disease travels through the body becoming more difficult to eradicate by antibiotics alone. The longer the bacteria stays in your system, the more widespread it becomes, which will attack every part of the human body. If you want to learn more about Lyme, the link below is a great portrayal of what Chronic Lyme Disease feels like to live with. This was the first video GG saw that made her break down, realizing this was the disease she had all along. She highly encourages anyone that doesn't understand the complexity of Chronic Lyme Disease to view this with an open mind to the many sufferers like herself.
Patrick Plum: What It Feels Like to Have Chronic Lyme Disease
Please help GG get her normal, healthy life back! Each and every donation, big or small, will play a big part in her road to recovery and we will be forever grateful for every donation received. If you cannot donate at this time, I thank you for reading her story and hope you will pass it along for awareness and education of this disease. We must tell our stories and stand together in order to defeat this unrecognized epidemic. Please pray for GG and her path to recovery. Thank you for taking the time to read and share this.
Much love,
Ruby Scherpinsky

HOW WE GOT HERE...TWO YEARS LATER
Two years ago, GG was bit by a tick while on a camping trip to Wisconson and since then, I have watched GG struggle with many health issues beginning in November of 2015 when I first met her. These symptoms first started out as constant panic attacks, extreme food intolerances, hair loss, sudden weight loss, severe rashes, and suicidal thoughts just to name a few. She has seen at least 10 different physicians and specialists and has had countless tests done to discover what was causing her painful symptoms, not knowing it was Lyme Disease until just recently. She has continued to follow a supplement plan, detox regimens, strict diet plan, and has experimented with different healing protocols the past two years from these physicians, but has not found the relief she deserves. Because this diagnosis has taken so long to get, it has progessed to the chronic stage, which is known to be incurable. However, GG is a fighter and doesn't believe in incurable diseases and with your help, GG can reach a state of remission and maintenance with this illness.
After finding a Lyme Literate Medical Doctor after two years of searching for answers, GG began treatment with antibiotics, which she then had very severe reactions to. These reactions consisted of seizures, hallucinations, and much more. Publicly speaking, most people think antibiotics are the cure-all to killing Lyme, but this is not true for all patients, especially sensitive ones such as GG. This is why GG has decided to seek out alternative medicine as a healing avenue. In the past two years, GG has experienced probably close to 150 different symptoms, which is very common among Lyme patients. However, in the last three months, GG has started experiencing some very bizarre and frightening symptoms— burning pain in her brain, inability to form words, seizures, black outs, dizziness, extreme fatigue, joint pain, bell's palsy, tingling and numbness in her limbs, deeper depression and anxiety, and a variety of other weird neurological symptoms. After months of watching her struggle to keep the symptoms at bay, her body can no longer do what she asks it to do, leaving her physically and emotionally drained. GG has had to quit her job, drop out of college, and turn to friends and family for support, in order to put her health first.
Her latest health decline has brought us to the conclusion that she will need treatment in a facility that specializes in treating her severe symptoms in a more natural approach, which is not covered by insurance. Not only do ticks carry Lyme, but they also carry many co-infections, which will require further testing. GG's family has already spent well over $15,000 in the past 21 months for out of pocket doctor visits, treatment with supplements, and testing, and there is still much more that needs to be done. Funding this treatment has wreaked havoc on her family financially, not to mention emotionally. Since GG is unable to work, she needs our help to afford to gain her sense of independence back from this isolating disease.
If not treated aggressively and soon, this disease has the ability to make GG bed ridden for the rest of her life. I am seeking your help to raise funds for her treatment that practices integrative medicine combining the best of western medicine and natural medicine. She will have to continue strict detox protocols while ridding her body of this bacteria, which will most likely make her worse before she gets better. Although GG knows this is a tough battle to fight, she is doing all that she can to get to a point of optimal health. She strives to go and live her life to the fullest and relies on God and people she loves to get her through this awful illness. GG continues to praise Jesus, despite her daily suffering.
TREATMENT AND COSTS
GG will be undergoing treatment for multiple medical disorders: Lyme disease and several additional tick and mosquito-borne infections. The Hansa Center For Optimal Health is a treatment facility located in Wichita, Kansas that specializes in Chronic Lyme Disease, which is in GG's best interest as of now. Any money raised will go towards:
-Daily access to treating doctors/nurses
-IV and detoxification therapies
-High quality supplements
-Blood work, testing, and labs
-Doctor consultations -Travel expenses
Unfortunately, treatment for this disease and co-infections is extremely costly and is not covered by insurance, leaving GG's family to pay for consultations, blood work and labs, healing therapies, supplements, and medications. Chronic Lyme has no one size fits all cure, so this fundraising goal is a starting point and can easily change with treatment needs. The Hansa Center treatment facility charges $9,950 for two weeks of treatment. This is where GG plans on going for treatment, since being her own doctor has not gotten her to the place of healing where she needs to be. The Hansa Center projects most Chronic Lyme patients need treatment for 1-2 years, with each follow up visits averaging between $3,100-$5,500.
WHAT IS CHRONIC LYME DISEASE?
There are 300,000-500,000 new cases of Lyme diagnosed every year in the United States alone. For whatever reason, the medical community has decided to brush this disease under the rug and label it taboo. The CDC denies the existence of Chronic Lyme Disease, so insurance companies are not required to cover costs related to the disease. Patients spend an average of $53,000 per year out of pocket for tests, doctor visits, pharmaceuticals and supplements, which is why GG needs such funding. If not caught in the early stages, the disease travels through the body becoming more difficult to eradicate by antibiotics alone. The longer the bacteria stays in your system, the more widespread it becomes, which will attack every part of the human body. If you want to learn more about Lyme, the link below is a great portrayal of what Chronic Lyme Disease feels like to live with. This was the first video GG saw that made her break down, realizing this was the disease she had all along. She highly encourages anyone that doesn't understand the complexity of Chronic Lyme Disease to view this with an open mind to the many sufferers like herself.
Patrick Plum: What It Feels Like to Have Chronic Lyme Disease
Please help GG get her normal, healthy life back! Each and every donation, big or small, will play a big part in her road to recovery and we will be forever grateful for every donation received. If you cannot donate at this time, I thank you for reading her story and hope you will pass it along for awareness and education of this disease. We must tell our stories and stand together in order to defeat this unrecognized epidemic. Please pray for GG and her path to recovery. Thank you for taking the time to read and share this.
Much love,
Ruby Scherpinsky
Organizer and beneficiary
Gianna Lorraine Hines
Organizer
Springfield, IL
Gianna Hines
Beneficiary
