My name is Nicole Dambach and I am creating this fundraiser for my friend, Lori Edstrom.

I reconnected with Lori just a few short years ago when she took care of my mom as a PCA. She worked a ton of overtime to make sure my mom was never alone at the end of her life. Sometimes even working 24 hours straight, bouncing from client to client just to be there for us.

Lori has become a wonderful and dear friend since that time. I have found her to be kind, caring, compassionate, and generous to everyone, including perfect strangers. She absolutely adores children, especially her nieces & nephews. They are her everything. She had, up until recently, always loved attending their sporting & extracurricular activities. In December 2021, when her symptoms worsened, she was not able to attend anymore. This was, by far, the biggest loss for her.

Lori is the type of person who would literally do anything for anyone. She even co-founded and still directs a community food group out of her porch that gives meals and groceries to the Iron Range community. You may have heard of it, it’s called Iron Range Meals on a Mission. She has this deep love for helping and caring for others.

Lori has had severe medical issues for many years now, with no clear answers. She had been diagnosed with acute fibromyalgia years ago, but even back then, she knew there was more to it than that. She had to become her own advocate and press the doctors to look deeper. She finally got referred to the Mayo and has been going back and forth to the Mayo for appointments and tests almost monthly since October. She usually stays in Rochester anywhere from 3-8 days each time she has appointments.

On her latest trip to the Mayo, she finally got her answers. It was not what she wanted to hear, but she feels a relief knowing what it is and that she can start some treatments to help.

The 1st diagnosis: most of the right side of her diaphragm is paralyzed, so she will wear an oxygen mask at bedtime to help her breathe and get the oxygen her body needs.

The 2nd and 3rd diagnoses:

FMD (functional movement disorder),

and

FND (functional neurologic disorder)

These diagnoses finally make sense. This is why she is unsteady, clumsy, off balance, and falling a lot. This condition also affects her thought process. She cannot fully control what her brain is doing, so she has a hard time concentrating, remembering things, and processing things. She also is delayed in speaking sometimes and has a hard time having conversations.

The reason the doctors at the Mayo think Lori's illness presents itself today is because 8 years ago she had an incident that caused a very low oxygen level for a moderate period of time. This in turn, led to some minor brain damage. That episode also caused some liver damage and 3rd stage kidney disease, which she still suffers from to this day. 

Lori has not worked since September 2021 and has had very little income since that time. She is now struggling to pay her personal bills and pay for her medical trips to and from the Mayo, which includes gas, hotel, and food.
The Mayo trips are partially reimbursed by insurance, but not fully and they have set limits of coverage. With gas prices climbing and her needing someone to help her get around, she is worried that she won’t get to go to her 2 upcoming trips. 

Lori has applied for Social Security Disability, but if you have ever had to jump through those hoops, you know how hard it is to get approved. She already receives bare minimum from the county and has exhausted all resources of help she can find, including draining her savings account.

Lori has always been the generous one and now she needs our help in showing how we give back. No amount is too low and any amount will be greatly appreciated more than you know.

 

Lori really needs a boost right now. She needs our help to be able to continue doctoring at the Mayo and learn about the treatments she can try for a new lease on life.

 

Thank you so much for your help and support.