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PLEASE DONATE TO HELP PAY FOR CURRENT AND UPCOMING MEDICAL BILLS. ADDITIONAL PROCEEDS GIVEN TO CHARITIES LISTED BELOW.
My name is Eric Rudzinski, and since I was in middle school, I've suffered from chronic abdominal pain. Growing up, I faced many years of testing and doctor visits. Eventually,I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. (below is a link for more information on what Crohn's disease is)
Over the years, I have been able to handle the side effects with diet and medication.
In mid September 2022, I had the worst flare-up of my entire life. After a week of stomach pain building up, I decided I had to get help. I reached out to a specialist who prescribed me a very heavy taper of anti-inflammatory medicine. I felt better for a while until a new pain hit me. The new pain was debilitating to the point where I couldn't go to work or even attend my online classes.
On October 5th, 2022, everything escalated. The pain was so unbearable that I made my way to the hospital. They ran a bunch of tests to find that I had developed an abscess in my colon that had perforated and needed emergency surgery. This developed because a perianal fistula formed where the small intestine meets the colon; a complication of crohn's disease. They originally wanted to operate and remove the fistula. The surgery would have created a lot of health complications for me. Instead, they ended up just draining my abdomen. The doctor said I may have set a record for most puss removed from a abdomen: two liters. I was then under strict monitoring and heavy IV antibiotics until October 13th, when I was released and given a grocery list of medications to help me stop the inflammation at home.
Once I have everything under control in 6 months, I will be going back under the knife to remove the fistula. Hopefully putting me in remission.
A little background about myself. I currently work as an IT analyst and live with a couple of roommates. I am working toward a bachelor's degree in Information Technologies from Metropolitan State University. I grew up moving around the United States. Moving so often put a lot of strain on our family. My sister and I lost our entire support system from 2007 to 2011. Our grandfather passed away in 2007. In 2009 we lost our father. In 2010 our maternal grandmother passed of poor health. The next year in 2011 our paternal grandmother passed away in a group home. She struggled with Parkinson's disease near the end of her life. Then in 2012, our mother had a brain hemorrhage passing away instantly. This left my sister and me alone to deal with funerals and other lawyer fees. It was very overwhelming for both of us.
I am raising funds to go toward my previous, current and future medical bills including a medical bill of $7,000. This is from when I spent three days in the hospital for mental health.
The funds that are left over will be donated to three different foundations. The first is the Mental Health Foundation, the second is Crohn's and Colitis Foundation and the third is the MDS Foundation. Here are links to their sites:
Thank you so much for your time here today! I appreciate all the support I can get in this painful journey I am taking to finally be well in mental health and keep my Crohn's controlled.