Help Jeff & Kate Fight Lyme Disease

My name is Kate and I am married to Jeff - the sweetest, wisest, most selfless man I know.  This year, we will celebrate 30 years together!  Unfortunately, Jeff has been ill for almost half of our marriage, with each passing year getting worse.  We have been to a countless number of doctors and specialists, and done all kinds of testing. Still, we had no answer to the cause of his mysterious illness.  We began treating for Lyme Disease 2 years ago but there was no consensus between our doctors as to the accuracy of this diagnosis.  Still, we treated.  Finally, in January of this year (2016) we went to a chronic illness specialist in Seattle who was able to difinitively diagnose Jeff with having had Lyme Disease and still suffering from acute systemic Babesia, a malaria-like parasite contracted with the Lyme, most likely from a tick bite.

I probably would never have done a GoFundMe, but my dear friend Connie has started a fundraising campaign on our behalf to help us raise the funds to cover our family's rising medical costs and she asked me to set up a way for people to donate online.  I am so humbled and thankful for her help!

Though we are hugely grateful to finally have a diagnosis, we were also hit with the overwhelming news that I too probably had Lyme as well as our whole family.  The doctor said it was critical that I treat as well, so as not to pass it back to Jeff.  He explained that Lyme and it's co-infections can be passed on through childbirth, intimacy or blood on blood.  Sadly, everyone tested in the family so far has confirmed the Dr.'s prognosis - we all have Lyme and different variations of the co-infections which include Babesia, Bartinella and Ehrlichia.  

With your help, the money we raise will go to help cover our entire family's medical out of pocket costs.  This includes co-pays and all medical bills and procedures not covered by our health insurance.   The most heartbreaking part of all this is that we don't have the funds to help our kids walk through this.  Yet, the sooner they treat, the less invasive it will be. We ARE seeing a slow and steady improvement in Jeff since January so we know we are finally on the right track and working with the right medical team.  

Thank you all for your support...I can't begin to tell you what this will mean for our family to be able to do whatever it takes to heal from this insidious disease.