Blessings. My name is Sharon Swank. It is very difficult for me to share this story with strangers and family, but my friends have been urging me to make a GoFundMe page. I put it off because of seeing so many folks around me losing everything in the recent flood. Then I thought back to my favorite verse in the Bible, Luke 10:28. The very last part of this says love your neighbors as you love yourself. I was reminded of God's love by a good friend. Sometimes we have to swallow our pride and ask folks for help.

I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis affecting my lungs in 2009. After going to many different doctors and trying many different things, I can happily say that my sarcoidosis went into remission at the end of 2015, early 2016.

After the sarcoidosis in my lungs went into remission, it reappeared in my central nervous system. To this day, I still get tremendous pain in my extremities. I would be fine one minute, then the next, screaming from pain. The sarcoidosis causes sores that develop infections despite proper wound care and prescribed medications. These infections have required hospitalization on several occasions. I actually had a small stroke that the doctors believe may have been caused by the infection due to the sarcoidosis. This continued and is very hard to deal with, but my husband and I managed until 2020.

2020 is when I had such bad pain in my left side I told my mama to get my husband and call the hospital because I was sure I was going to die that night. I ended up in Morristown Hamblen Hospital where they took out 3 jars of what looked like used motor oil from between my lung and the lining of my side, causing my left lung to collapse. The doctors tried for a week to get the infection out with no success. The next thing I remembered was waking up in UT Medical Center with a chest tube stuck in my side. My husband and I were afraid I was not going to survive since the doctors told him everything was touch and go. Despite all the cultures that were taken, they could not figure out what the root of the infection was so they could treat it properly. After 3 weeks in UT hospital, I was sent home with IV antibiotics for 12 weeks.

By 2022, I was still fighting infection and sarcoidosis. As if that were not enough, then I was bitten by a spider that was in my shoe! I was taking care of the bite to no avail, never dreaming I would be in surgery the next day. My doctor had to amputate 3 toes. I broke my right foot off in 2009. In the process of healing, I developed what they called Charcot on that foot. I had been trying to put as little weight as possible on the right foot, and now with the missing toes on the left foot, the right was bearing most of my weight. When the Charcot burst and affected the bottom of my foot, that infection was also flaring up again. So I was in absolutely unbearable pain. I wasn't close to being healed from the amputation of my toes on the left foot, but the foot doctor had to do surgery to try to save the right foot! During the next 2 years, I had 10 surgeries to try to save my feet. Unfortunately, my right foot had to be amputated in November of 2024. Once they took my foot, it seems they finally got the infection out.

For the first time in years, I feel very healthy. After almost dying two times, I have a totally different outlook on life. While my husband has stood beside me through all of it, he actually has a totally different outlook on life as well. He has been my rock throughout most of this.

Now I am finally with my husband in our own home. I am pretty much stuck in a chair until summer (if then) gets here. We are hoping it won’t be longer than that. But in the meantime, there is so much work to be done around my home. Doorways must be widened and bigger doors replaced. My bathtub has to be replaced with a shower that includes a chair. Our ramp needs something on it to grip my chair to come up when it's wet to give me access when I have to go to doctors’ appointments. It would just be nice to feel human in my own home. I need to be able to go into my bathroom to take a shower, use the commode, or clean with no obstructions. For the most part right now, I am confined to a small portion of my living room and a small portion of my kitchen due to medical equipment. I would love to be able to sleep in my own bed.

So I am humbly asking that, if you feel led, you donate to help us get our house in order so that I am able to live my life and get my chair everywhere I need to in my home. It would be very much appreciated not just by me, but by my husband and my family as well. My husband works his butt off to keep our household above water. Anything we get, we will pay it forward.

God has blessed me with my life and I just want to live it to the fullest that I can. Any help will be much appreciated. Even small amounts add up.

Please, share if you don't mind.