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Callie's Supporters

Background:
 I created this fundraiser for my friend and high school classmate, Callie Sue Wynn, who has been battling Lyme disease and mold toxicity, among other health difficulties, for many years.

In high school she saved so many people with her kindness. She truly made your life better and I know today she would be continuing to save the world.

She needs help guys. We need additional treatment to not only maintain her disease but FIGHT against it and improve. But, this will once again likely be six-figures in cost, including things such as routine testing, mold-free housing with air purifiers and water filters, the placement of a port-a-cath for IVs, brain imaging, daily IVs, daily supplements, and chiropractic visits, among other things. None of these things, except possibly a very small percentage of the blood work, is expected to be covered by insurance.

Callie is someone this world NEEDS. She is so deserving of any help we are able to give her. Please donate whatever you are able to, every $1.00 helps. If you are unable to please share and post with the people you know. We can do this.

Immediately below is a current update on Callie Sue’s health difficulties in 2020 that I copied from a blog about Callie. It was written from the perspective of her parents, and you can find it here . Below this 2020 summary are portions of the 2017 summary of Callie’s then-diagnosed health difficulties, which was initially put together by Callie’s aunt and uncle for fundraising purposes.  Both are included to provide a more holistic perspective of her journey. Please feel free to donate, and/or share this on social media or with mutual friends and acquaintances.

2020 Update:

Callie Sue continues to suffer from all of the symptoms described below, along with many others, and has for the previous 5+ years. We now know that lifelong difficulties she has had, such as ear infections, hearing loss, chronic sinus infections, spinal degradation, and abdominal complications, are explained by her diagnoses. She has likely been battling these diagnoses her entire life, albeit a less symptomatic version, until 2015 when travel triggered a much more intense response. We have also discovered that due to a specific gene she has, her body struggles to detox from exposure to toxins such as mold, pesticides, etc., so she has to be very careful about only drinking filtered water and eating organic foods, which adds to expenses. She has no energy at all, is unable to work or attend school, and depends on a caretaker 24/7 for basic needs. She cannot drive and struggles with her mobility on a daily basis, along with trouble eating. She has lost quite a bit of weight. In conjunction with this, she has severe inflammation in her abdominal region that causes extreme nausea, loss of appetite, and intense nerve pain.  She fights significant back pain and nerve pain constantly, has substantial memory loss and trouble with cognitive function, and struggles greatly to process information, whether verbally or written.

We hope to resume intensive treatment within the next few months. These expenses would be almost entirely uninsured and will once again likely be six-figures in cost, including things such as routine testing, mold-free housing with air purifiers and water filters, the placement of a port-a-cath for IVs, brain imaging, daily IVs, daily supplements, and chiropractic visits, among other things. None of these things, except possibly a very small percentage of the blood work, is expected to be covered by insurance.

The last few years, our finances have gone towards MAINTAINING rather than IMPROVING. When energy has permitted, Callie has gone to the chiropractor once a week to keep her pain from worsening. This specialty chiropractor is a 3-hour drive round-trip, and insurance does not cover the cost of these appointments. Thousands of dollars have also gone towards at-home rehab equipment, which, when energy permits, Callie does several times each day, although recently this has become much more challenging. If she was able to do all of the rehab prescribed, it would be several hours daily, although even on her “better energy” days, she must do these things in small increments to allow for rest, and still usually cannot complete them all. She has also had many tests to try to determine a root cause of her eating struggles, but to no avail. She has had ear appointments regarding her hearing loss, and her doctor strongly suggested an implanted hearing device would be extremely beneficial after the last ear surgery repair in 2016 – which was to fix middle ear bone deterioration with a prosthetic – malfunctioned in less than 2 years. We were not told about this hearing device until Callie went to a new doctor at 23. She was denied insurance coverage for this; had we been aware of it when she was 22 or younger, insurance would have automatically covered it. We are still seeking to accomplish this. She cannot hear out of her left ear almost at all, and has hearing loss in the right ear as well. These expenses are in addition to many household expenses required for Callie’s illness, such as ensuring the basement was remediated from water damage, which is believed to be where some of Callie’s mold exposure came from. Other costs have been water filters for drinking, showering, and bathing, and mold testing. Our hope is that we could work toward IMPROVING in the later part of this year, rather than just not getting worse.




Treatment is time sensitive, because as with many illnesses, the longer it progresses, the more difficult it is to eradicate, and the more deterioration is done. Any funds would go towards any medical bills, medications, tests, etc. that Callie will require.


2017:

This story was written by Callie Sue’s parents, Jimmy and Susan Wynn, regarding Callie Sue’s medical treatment over the last several years.

About Callie Sue:

Our daughter, Callie Sue Wynn, was a 19-year-old freshman at Duke University, where she was studying Religion and Psychology, before she became sick. Callie has always loved learning. She loves reading and writing, especially poetry, and she has always been extremely active. She played soccer and ran track/cross country in high school, and she continued running in college at Duke University.


Background:

Callie Sue was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and a parasite in February of 2016 after being extremely sick for 7 months following a trip to Nepal in the summer of 2015.

Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection that primarily infects the Central Nervous System: brain, spinal cord, and associated nerves. As a result, Callie Sue has been battling numerous symptoms for the better part of the last two years: blurry vision, tinnitus, hearing loss, TMJ, back and neck pain, nerve pain and numbness, arthritis, insomnia, and brain fog, among others.

Along with the parasite and subsequent Lyme diagnosis, Callie was found to have an additional parasite and 2 co-infections of Lyme Disease.

Lyme Disease suppresses the immune system, so she has also been battling chronic infections: pneumonia, mono, and sinus/ear infections.

Our daughter previously exercised a great deal, often running 50+ miles a week, but she is now unable to exercise due to a lack of energy and inflammation.

Why we are thankful for your help:

The vast majority of insurance companies do not acknowledge Chronic Lyme Disease. (Chronic Lyme occurs when Lyme Disease progresses beyond several rounds of antibiotic treatment, or when the bull’s eye rash is not present as a physical symptom to provide “evidence” of Lyme and so the initial rounds of antibiotics are not quickly received during the time-sensitive period following the contraction of the illness).  Almost all of our medical expenses over the past 2 years have been uninsured. Our family has had to bear the brunt of these costs that reach well into the six-figure range, with an estimate of that amount continuing as the battle goes on.

We have had treatment in 3 states, including multiple extended stays, and we expect this to continue in the future because our quest for healing is incomplete.

Your donations will help to offset some of the ongoing expenses and provide additional support for Callie Sue’s battle with Lyme Disease. Your financial support will help with a wide range of expenses that could range from IV treatment, medication and supplements, imaging (X-rays, MRIs, PET scans, etc.), extensive testing (blood panels), etc.

Please feel free to share this online through social media or with any businesses or acquaintances who may consider supporting during this season.
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Donations 

  • loriella andre
    • $10 
    • 2 yrs
  • Ralph Antonelli
    • $100 
    • 2 yrs
  • Madison Granger
    • $200 
    • 2 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $60 
    • 3 yrs
  • Dillon Hester
    • $40 
    • 3 yrs
Donate

Organizer and beneficiary

Gabbi Smith
Organizer
Charlotte, NC
Callie Sue Wynn
Beneficiary

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