Dearest Friends & Community,
For the last four years, my beautiful friend Susie has been bravely battling Lyme disease, CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome), and POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).
Treatment requires a Specialist which is not covered under insurance, and therefore, she has been covering all medical costs herself -- until her savings ran out. Every donation will help Susie access the comprehensive medical care and safe housing she needs to stop her condition from worsening and give her a real chance at long-term healing.
About Susie
If you’ve met Susie, as a colleague, client, or friend, you know her as loyal, thoughtful, and deeply caring. She’s the kind of person who gives more than she takes.
Organized, capable, and fiercely independent, she built her most recent career as a Director of Operations, creating business systems for online coaches and developing business models for high-profile clients.
In 2021, that life came to an abrupt stop.
What Happened
Susie was living in a home with hidden water damage which caused toxic mold — a problem she didn’t know existed until it was too late. The toxic exposure triggered a severe immune response, and her body couldn’t recover and she developed a mold illness called CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) as well as POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). What she didn’t know was that she also had undiagnosed Lyme disease, which had been silently compromising her immune system for years.
She lost her home, her belongings, and precious irreplaceable items. She has moved eight times trying to find healthy housing. She sleeps in her car over half the time because her current rental makes her sick.
Susie's Medical Journey
The combination of Lyme, CIRS and POTS, have been devastating. Her illness became so severe that at its worst, she was practically bed-bound for months on end, barely able to walk. What followed was four years of declining health, misdiagnosis after misdiagnosis, and watching her life savings disappear into a medical system that couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
She has taken as many as 40 pills a day, choked down horrible-tasting medicines, faced numerous invasive tests, and endured rigorous physical therapy so that she could walk, drive and stabilize.
She Struggles With Disabling Symptoms:
Brain and cognitive issues, Crushing brain fog, memory loss, word finding difficulty, trouble processing information, can participate in tasks 2–3 hours in the morning before her brain shuts down.
Nervous system damage, nerve pain in her feet, dizziness, balance problems, temperature and blood pressure fluctuations, heart rate irregularities. Debilitating headaches, extreme fatigue, joint and muscle pain, blurred vision, and an immune system that can’t fight infections.
Most patients with Lyme seek medical answers for 5–15 years before being properly diagnosed. Susie is grateful to finally have the correct diagnoses, but this is just the starting point. There is a long road ahead to recovery, usually 1-3 years.
The Good News
Here’s what gives us hope -- with proper treatment, much of this neurological damage is recoverable. Susie finally has physicians who understand this illness and have a clear treatment plan. But she needs two things to get there —first, safe housing that has been tested for mold and other environmental toxins; and second, consistent medical care.
How You Can Help
Every donation, no matter the size, is so appreciated. Donations will go directly toward her housing expenses and medical care.
If you are unable to donate right now, there are other meaningful ways to support her:
✨ Sharing Susie’s story
✨ Sending messages of encouragement
✨ Holding Susie in your thoughts or prayers
Thank You
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to read Susie’s story. Your kindness, generosity, and support remind her that she is not walking this path alone.
With love and deep gratitude,
Linda
P.S.
For your donation to remain anonymous to the public, click the box that offers that option.
If you want to donate, but prefer not use Go Fund Me, feel free to contact me. Thank you once again.
Organizer
