Anne Lovell Fundraiser
Donation protected
Everyone goes to their routine visits thinking they'll hear the same answers. Heart rate is normal. Lungs sound healthy. We'll just do your bloodwork/tests and get back to you with the results.
And for most, that follow-up call ordinary. It's "everything looks good, we'll see you next year". But in September, I was told there were abnormalities in my panel and I would need to return for a follow-up visit.
Two months. Two long, uncertain months of testing, of wondering what was wrong. Two months of being scared, tired, mentally and physically drained. I had been through more tests than I knew existed at the University of Iowa. I lost track of the names of the different departments. Urology, Internal Medicine, etc. The names just loom overhead in big white letters, and in the midst of all the running around they could have said anything and they would have just lingered somewhere in the back of my mind.
A cocktail of different diagnoses were thrown at me. I didn't absorb them right away - who would? All the tests were overwhelming enough. When I finally got a hold of it all, I kept track of the foreign names.
Stage V Chronic Kidney Disease
End-stage Renal Disease
Anemia (Resulting fro ESRD)
I'm on a kidney transplant list. I'm on a dialysis machine, which I was thankfully able to take home. I need this machine because my kidneys don't remove the toxins from my bloodstream like normal people. Without the dialysis machine, I'm at risk of any number of life-threatening complications.
My best bet for a normal life is a kidney transplant. If the transplant is successful, there's an 8 week recovery time in which I can't lift over 10lbs for fear of tearing sutures.
Of course, there are any number of risks and trials associated with transplant. The waitlist is the first hurdle. Once that's overcome, the surgery itself will impose a significant financial strain on me and my family. If my body rejects the transplant, there will be costs incurred for rejection therapy. Of course, all of these scenarios ignore the worst-case scenario.
So, here we are. I want to be completely transparent with you - this GoFundMe will help supplant income for both my normal expenses and treatment. The insurance covers 90% of any charge with a 10% patient responsibility. I don't know the ins-and-outs of the insurance, so I can't say for 100% certainty the charges I'll be incurring. A quick Google search suggests dialysis for a year can cost anywhere between $50,000-70,000/year. That leaves me on the hook for at least $5000 - and that's just for dialysis. This is, of course, if all treatments are covered and insurance doesn't deny, which could incur a much heftier expense down the road.
I owe $3000 on my trailer before it's paid off. I am hoping to fundraise enough to help mitigate as many bills as possible. Of course, the future is uncertain, and no one knows what expenses I may or may not incur. I only ask that you understand the unknowns of all of this. I chose the first goal of $10,000 to accommodate the remaining balance on my trailer, the lot rent, current medical expenses that I've incurred ($3000) and an additional amount to supplement monthly bills and further medical expenses in the future.
I also write this in hopes that someone can glean some form of awareness for this disease. You can see the link for more information:
End Stage Renal Disease
In the middle of all this craziness from COVID-19 and current political climates, I feel blotted out at times, like a quiet chirp in a sea of screaming voices. But I hope that if you took the time to read this you might feel compelled to help and, if not, you at least get some information about this disease for you or your loved ones.
Less than a year ago, I was a normal person like you. I worried about paying bills, worried about the future, about my family. Today I'm still like you, but I am carrying so, so much more than the usual everyday stressors. If you can find a way to assist me financially or otherwise, it would mean the world to me.
Thank you for your time,
Anne
And for most, that follow-up call ordinary. It's "everything looks good, we'll see you next year". But in September, I was told there were abnormalities in my panel and I would need to return for a follow-up visit.
Two months. Two long, uncertain months of testing, of wondering what was wrong. Two months of being scared, tired, mentally and physically drained. I had been through more tests than I knew existed at the University of Iowa. I lost track of the names of the different departments. Urology, Internal Medicine, etc. The names just loom overhead in big white letters, and in the midst of all the running around they could have said anything and they would have just lingered somewhere in the back of my mind.
A cocktail of different diagnoses were thrown at me. I didn't absorb them right away - who would? All the tests were overwhelming enough. When I finally got a hold of it all, I kept track of the foreign names.
Stage V Chronic Kidney Disease
End-stage Renal Disease
Anemia (Resulting fro ESRD)
I'm on a kidney transplant list. I'm on a dialysis machine, which I was thankfully able to take home. I need this machine because my kidneys don't remove the toxins from my bloodstream like normal people. Without the dialysis machine, I'm at risk of any number of life-threatening complications.
My best bet for a normal life is a kidney transplant. If the transplant is successful, there's an 8 week recovery time in which I can't lift over 10lbs for fear of tearing sutures.
Of course, there are any number of risks and trials associated with transplant. The waitlist is the first hurdle. Once that's overcome, the surgery itself will impose a significant financial strain on me and my family. If my body rejects the transplant, there will be costs incurred for rejection therapy. Of course, all of these scenarios ignore the worst-case scenario.
So, here we are. I want to be completely transparent with you - this GoFundMe will help supplant income for both my normal expenses and treatment. The insurance covers 90% of any charge with a 10% patient responsibility. I don't know the ins-and-outs of the insurance, so I can't say for 100% certainty the charges I'll be incurring. A quick Google search suggests dialysis for a year can cost anywhere between $50,000-70,000/year. That leaves me on the hook for at least $5000 - and that's just for dialysis. This is, of course, if all treatments are covered and insurance doesn't deny, which could incur a much heftier expense down the road.
I owe $3000 on my trailer before it's paid off. I am hoping to fundraise enough to help mitigate as many bills as possible. Of course, the future is uncertain, and no one knows what expenses I may or may not incur. I only ask that you understand the unknowns of all of this. I chose the first goal of $10,000 to accommodate the remaining balance on my trailer, the lot rent, current medical expenses that I've incurred ($3000) and an additional amount to supplement monthly bills and further medical expenses in the future.
I also write this in hopes that someone can glean some form of awareness for this disease. You can see the link for more information:
End Stage Renal Disease
In the middle of all this craziness from COVID-19 and current political climates, I feel blotted out at times, like a quiet chirp in a sea of screaming voices. But I hope that if you took the time to read this you might feel compelled to help and, if not, you at least get some information about this disease for you or your loved ones.
Less than a year ago, I was a normal person like you. I worried about paying bills, worried about the future, about my family. Today I'm still like you, but I am carrying so, so much more than the usual everyday stressors. If you can find a way to assist me financially or otherwise, it would mean the world to me.
Thank you for your time,
Anne
Organizer
Anne Lovell
Organizer
North Liberty, IA