Bella's Journey to Conquer Lyme Disease
Donation protected
Just over 3 years ago, Isabella was a vibrant, active, 13 year old. Hanging out with her friends. Riding horses til' dark, and spending most of her time outdoors. She competed in Barrel Racing and loved to spend time with the animals on the family farm.
Isabella endured a minor accident, when she fell off her horse during a competition in June of 2017. She didn't show symptoms of a concussion, until September of that year (her first year of high school). Her symptoms were dizziness, migraines and fatigue. At first, her parent's thought it was stress related, however, when it didn't seem to go away, after a month's time, her mom (Tina) decided to take her to a Physiotherapist. She was then diagnosed with a concussion, vertigo, and vision damage. She was forced to take a year off school to focus on therapy and recovery.
Unfortunately, there was little to no improvement, from there. During the past 3 years, her symptoms have become worse and more symptoms have been added to the list. Bella now has suffered from immense weakness, nerve pain (in her neck, jaw and head), muscle twitches in her hands, and brain fog. Her vertigo has worsened, and several other doctor's have provided her with other diagnosis' of post concussion syndrome, occipital neuralgia, anxiety, mild post traumatic stress and even an eating disorder.
Earlier this year, Bella's mother Tina, had looked into Lyme Disease, after reviewing a list of symptoms that seemed to be an exact match to the symptoms of her daughter. After doing some digging and research, they found a naturopath, to help process an Igenex test to validate if she has Lyme Disease. The Test came back and confirmed that Bella was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease in May of this year.
Because Canada doesn't have enough funding behind this disease for treatments and coverage, Bella is now exploring with her family, the option for Cross-Border Treatments in New York. She has been feeling very weak, and has even chosen to go plant based, for her diet for the past 7 months. Her next option is to travel on a monthly basis to start her initial treatments for Lyme Disease (8 months total).
Bella found a reputable Doctor who might be able to minimize her symptoms, if she follows the program that has been deemed successful from other Lyme patients, who have been treated here before. The Doctor Bella will be visiting, is located in NY, and is responsible for providing success to other Chronic Lyme Patients for over a decade. The Treatment consists of approximately 8 visits to their facility in New York. Each visit is a month apart and consists of 4 days (including travel, testing, blood work, medical bills, etc).
The risks without treatment, would be complications involving the joints, heart and nervous system. We have already witnessed the deterioration of her joints (chronic pain), energy levels are at an extreme low, and we started to see her nervous system act up (in her neck, jaw and back). We now need to take all preventative measures as a family, to help Bella. We are asking our friends and family, that they help contribute towards this cause, as we do not have the means to make it happen on our own. Bills will continue to pile up, and we have to go Cross-Border and the currency exchange is not helping us Canadians, if we are going to seek medical attention.
You don't have to donate much, anything will do, and we greatly appreciate your help! :)
Feel free to read more about Bella's Journey on her Blog at: www.paintopurposeclub.com
If you can share the link to the GoFundMe for Bella, we would be eternally grateful! Healing with Lyme Bellas Journey
Lots of Love from the DeBartolo Family,
(Chantelle, Tina, Santo, Nico, Isabella)
Isabella endured a minor accident, when she fell off her horse during a competition in June of 2017. She didn't show symptoms of a concussion, until September of that year (her first year of high school). Her symptoms were dizziness, migraines and fatigue. At first, her parent's thought it was stress related, however, when it didn't seem to go away, after a month's time, her mom (Tina) decided to take her to a Physiotherapist. She was then diagnosed with a concussion, vertigo, and vision damage. She was forced to take a year off school to focus on therapy and recovery.
Unfortunately, there was little to no improvement, from there. During the past 3 years, her symptoms have become worse and more symptoms have been added to the list. Bella now has suffered from immense weakness, nerve pain (in her neck, jaw and head), muscle twitches in her hands, and brain fog. Her vertigo has worsened, and several other doctor's have provided her with other diagnosis' of post concussion syndrome, occipital neuralgia, anxiety, mild post traumatic stress and even an eating disorder.
Earlier this year, Bella's mother Tina, had looked into Lyme Disease, after reviewing a list of symptoms that seemed to be an exact match to the symptoms of her daughter. After doing some digging and research, they found a naturopath, to help process an Igenex test to validate if she has Lyme Disease. The Test came back and confirmed that Bella was diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease in May of this year.
Because Canada doesn't have enough funding behind this disease for treatments and coverage, Bella is now exploring with her family, the option for Cross-Border Treatments in New York. She has been feeling very weak, and has even chosen to go plant based, for her diet for the past 7 months. Her next option is to travel on a monthly basis to start her initial treatments for Lyme Disease (8 months total).
Bella found a reputable Doctor who might be able to minimize her symptoms, if she follows the program that has been deemed successful from other Lyme patients, who have been treated here before. The Doctor Bella will be visiting, is located in NY, and is responsible for providing success to other Chronic Lyme Patients for over a decade. The Treatment consists of approximately 8 visits to their facility in New York. Each visit is a month apart and consists of 4 days (including travel, testing, blood work, medical bills, etc).
The risks without treatment, would be complications involving the joints, heart and nervous system. We have already witnessed the deterioration of her joints (chronic pain), energy levels are at an extreme low, and we started to see her nervous system act up (in her neck, jaw and back). We now need to take all preventative measures as a family, to help Bella. We are asking our friends and family, that they help contribute towards this cause, as we do not have the means to make it happen on our own. Bills will continue to pile up, and we have to go Cross-Border and the currency exchange is not helping us Canadians, if we are going to seek medical attention.
You don't have to donate much, anything will do, and we greatly appreciate your help! :)
Feel free to read more about Bella's Journey on her Blog at: www.paintopurposeclub.com
If you can share the link to the GoFundMe for Bella, we would be eternally grateful! Healing with Lyme Bellas Journey
Lots of Love from the DeBartolo Family,
(Chantelle, Tina, Santo, Nico, Isabella)
Organizer and beneficiary
Chantelle DeBartolo
Organizer
Acton, ON
Tina DeBartolo
Beneficiary