Donate to Bethany's "Fight CRPS" Medical Fund

Bethany can use your help getting much needed treatment for CRPS, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, which is also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. Many of you know her from the horse world (being a quintuple carded judge), as a 4-H leader, as a musician, or somewhere else that she has volunteered her time and or expertise.

CRPS is known as "the most painful condition known to man." It is also nicknamed "the suicide disease."

Generally CRPS impacts a limb, but Bethany has had it spread throughout her entire body including her organs, especially her GI system. It is a condition of the sympathetic and autonomic nervous systems.

Like many long term CRPS patients, Bethany has gastroparesis (stomach paralysis), hypothyroid and bradycardia. She experiences autonomic dysfunction, allodynia (where the slightest touch from a sheet, wind, even noise can cause extreme pain), tremors, and at times significant muscle spasms that can be very violent. She suffers from sensitivity to the heat and cold, changes to her gums, teeth, hair and nails, extreme bone pain, extreme burning pain and unfortunately more.

Recently her hands became much more affected which makes driving, writing, typing, holding things and dexterity very difficult. The most common areas where her pain impacts her are her back, neck, legs, feet and now hands. It also impacts her chest and can be very painful to breathe.

Bethany is an avid singer and this is drastically impacting her current ability to sing.

This fundraiser is to help Bethany get medical treatment that insurance won't cover in addition to traveling to get treatment and associated costs like food, lodging, gas, possible air fare.

The goal is to be able to get ketamine infusions. The best case scenario would be to get ketamine and lidocaine infusions together. Her insurance will not cover ketamine infusions, although specialists in 4 states have said over and over that she needs them. She has had success with lidocaine infusions, but has only been able to get them by being admitted to Albany Medical Center in NY, which is out of state for her and quite a process to get.

Bethany realizes that she will need to travel for treatment and that it will be a series of treatments. She will also keep researching and exploring all options.

Please donate if you are able to help Bethany have quality of life, to be the best Mom she can be, to work part time (she has been physically unable to work full time since 2014), and to keep volunteering as a 4-H leader. Treatment is needed for all of these things.

Bethany used to be a professional rider and ran a very large lesson program. Since 2014 she is fortunate to get on a horse and walk for 5 minutes and not end up hospitalized after. Bethany has worked hard on radical acceptance of her condition, but has also realized that it is past time to get a higher degree of care.

She thanks you all very much for your contribution.