Ronald's Medical Fund

My name is Lucia and I am reaching out to all of you in an effort to raise money for my best friend, Ronald Arceneaux. Ronald has been my friend for over 14 years and has been there for me through thick and thin during this time. I couldn't ask for a more generous, supportive, humorous and gentle friend. Although Ronald is passionate about and talented in creating music and writing shorts stories and poetry, he is currently working as a server at Applebees in Kenner, LA to make ends meet. For the majority of his life, Ronald has suffered from skin issues (boils, infections,etc) and swollen glands as well as Bell's Palsy which has paraliyzed both sides of his face off and on for the past 2 years. Five months ago, however, Ronald started experiencing a sharp increase in his symptoms. His glands and joints became severely swollen and numerous deep lesions and skin boils appeared all over his legs and arms resulting in huge areas of raw, open skin that are blistering and oozing pus. Because his skin is literally deteriorating off his limbs, there is a horrid smell of rotting flesh that he is living with everyday. If this description sounds digusting, I apologize, but Ronald is finding the courage and mental and physical strength to continue working 6-7 shifts every week in excrutiating pain in attempt to stay above water financially.



Ronald has been seeing multiple doctors
(Dermatologist, PCP, Wound care specialist)  for the past 5 months when he was initially admitted into the hospital, who are working together to diagnose his illness and to find a way to aleviate his pain. Although many blood tests, Cat Scans, MRI's and biopsies were conducted, the doctors have been unable to diagnose his symptoms....until one week ago. During this time, the doctors have prevented him from using pain medications as they said it would delay the healing process of his lesions. However, the lesions have continued to persist and have become more frequent over time. Ronald was just recently diagnosed with severe Psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis is a form of arthritis that affects some people who have psoriasis — a condition that features red patches of skin topped with silvery scales. Most people develop psoriasis first and are later diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, but the joint problems can sometimes begin before skin lesions appear. Joint pain, stiffness and swelling are the main symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. They can affect any part of your body, including your fingertips, limbs and spine, and can range from relatively mild to severe. 
No cure for psoriatic arthritis exists at present, so the focus is on controlling symptoms and preventing damage to your joints. Without treatment, psoriatic arthritis may be disabling.

Ronald has been prescribed antibiotics while he waits for a new cutting-edge medicine that supposedly helps cure psoriatic arthritits, to get approved by his Freecare Insurance in hopes of curing this disease.  Since Ronald doesn't make much money at Applebees, he has qualified for Freecare insurance but even though the majority of his doctor visits are covered by insurance, the antibiotics he's been prescribed and the new medicine he's waiting on, are not. The antibiotics cost him $200 per week.

Ronald lives with his parents in Kenner, LA which is 30 min from New Orleans proper. He lives with his parents because he has been unable to save enough money to put a deposit down for an apartment. Although his job isn't providing him with a sufficient income, he has been unable to look for other work as jobs in Kenner are few and public transportation from Kenner to New Orleans proper isn't reliable and stops at 10PM. As a result, Ronald is relying on his parents and their car to transport him to and from work as well as to the doctor three times a week to get his wounds cleaned and rebandaged. Ronald is stuck in a vicious cycle in which he is working to cover rent, bills and  all of his medical expenses, but is barely able to physically work anymore. Every movement causes Ronald excruciating pain and because being a server is a physically challenging job, it takes every cell of strength for him to fulfill his job functions sufficiently.

Ronald has faced many obstacles in life with a level of courage, tenacity and determination that few people I know posess. He has stayed calm and collected over the last few months, has remained patient while the doctors searched for a better understanding of his symptoms in order to reach a diagnosis. However, every human's spirit becomes tired, more susceptible to giving up. Ronald is clinging on to his job so he can still pay rent and try to afford his antibiotics as well. 

I understand that there are stories far more grave in the world, that people are suffering to greater extents, that there are many who feel poverty and pain on higher levels. BUT......this is a good person who has given the best of himself to many people over his lifetime and is now extremely close to throwing in the towel and giving up as his obstacles appear bigger and bigger and his pain, more overbearing and relentless. My best friend is in need of monetary support in order to stay mentally sane and remain above water financially.      

My desire is to raise $5,000 for Ronald so that the following can occur: 1. He will have money to cover his present antibiotics and future medicine. 2. He will have money to cover the co-pay costs at doctor visits. 3. He will be able to buy a used, cheap car so that he will be able to commute to the doctor on his own accord and to New Orleans proper where jobs are more abundant, which will greatly heighten his chances of finding a different line of work that is less physically demanding and more profitable. 4. He will have money to put down a deposit on his own apartment in New Orleans where there is more job opportunity. 

I am beyond grateful for anyone who can donate any amount of money to support my friend and help him get back on his feet. There are many people out in our world who are close to falling through the cracks.... Ronald is one of them. I am doing this campaign as a surprise to him....and I can tell you how blown away  and appreciative he will be upon receiving this money. This painful and debilitating disease is literally eating Ronald alive. Let's all get together and lift someone up. A most heartfelt thanks to all, Lucia