URGENT - Help Kim & Kevin

Hi.

We are Kim and Kevin (I'm the beardy one) and we need your help.

Here's the short version: we both have pending disability cases and we need money to live on while we wait for resolution.

Here's the long version...

Kim and I are sick. Kim has Primary Biliary Cholangitis , Nonepileptic Seizures (aka PNES) , PTSD , Major Depressive Disorder , Fibromyalgia and  Generalized Anxiety Disorder . I have Chronic Collageneous Colitis (and Lymphocytic Colitis) , Ulcerative Colitis , Celiac Disease , Sleep Apnea , and Major Depressive Disorder .

For those who are unfamiliar with nonepileptic seizures, here's a video. In it, Kim is watching the Last Jedi trailer on the day it was released. It's fair to say she was pretty excited. Be warned, it is NSFW.


As you can see in the video, Kim reacts to any kind of stimulus – good or bad. She's also triggered by even simple movement, like turning her head or standing too quickly. It's entirely unpredictable.

Kim wired up at Henry Ford Hospital for her video EEG (and official PNES diagnosis).

As for myself, my digestive diseases have not yet been responsive to treatment. I have chronic diarrhea. I am currently on chemo, which has been ineffective (and unpleasant). The only remaining treatment is the removal of my colon and it is fast approaching.

Me on one of my many trips to the ER. 

Kim has a degree in Photography and was a Professional Graphic Designer. I have a degree in Illustration and was Director of Design at a Big Fancy Ad Agency. We were Fine Upstanding Citizens. Then we got sick. That was years ago.

And now we are completely broke.

We each have pending disability claims, but do not anticipate a resolution until autumn of this year (at the earliest).

As we wait for this process to resolve, our resources have simply run out. Sadly, the American social safety net is filled with holes and we have fallen through every one. We've exploited (and continue to exploit) every public and private program we can find, with little luck. Our families have each given us as much as they can stand to (or more). Some of you have given us money or food (or both). For this we are sincerely grateful. 

We both receive excellent medical care through a combination of medicaid, Easter Seals and the kindness of a few extraordinary doctors. We have a roof over our heads thanks to the kindness of one extraordinary man. For everything else, we need your help.

We have food in the house and a bit of cash for milk and eggs and such, but we have bills that are due and we need your assistance as soon as possible.

(For those who are curious, the $12,000 goal represents eight months of living expenses at $1,500 a month. With any luck at all, our claims will be approved by then.)

Please click the donate button and give whatever you can. We will be more grateful than you can imagine.

Thank you,
Kim, Kevin, Speedbump (et al)


BONUS: There isn't a whole lot of info out there about PNES, but here's a good NPR piece .

SUPER BONUS: Random pictures of some of our nonhuman housemates. Enjoy!

Toasy reinforcing kitten stereotypes.

Spooky out and about.

Doctor Midnight in the sunlight.

Toasty making a move on Speedbump.

For more shut-in family funtime updates, you can follow Kim on Instagram @fishinthepercolator.

Thanks for looking and donating! (... and SHARING!) 

#PNES #MentalHealthMatters #Fibromyalgia #Celiac #Colitis #depression #anxiety #PBC #PTSD #GAD #MDD #GlutenFree #chronicillness