Below is a message from Joe:

"Hey everyone,

We wanted to reach out and share a bit about what's been going on with us. As I sit down to write, it's clear how much has happened and how many difficulties we've faced over the last eight years. It's hard to describe the journey we've been on, but I'll give it a go.

The last eight years have been filled with a multitude of health issues. When we first got married, we thought it was enough dealing with my Crohn’s disease. Now I wish that was all we had to worry about!

For the past several years, Joylie has had debilitating health issues that have impacted our lives physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. We've done everything in our power to keep up; even selling our home and relocating to a more affordable area a couple years ago to avoid financial ruin and afford treatment.

She has been mostly bedridden for the past 6 years with a complex combination of over 20 diagnoses and chronic illnesses; Late Stage Lyme disease, CFS/ME, POTS, fibromyalgia, organ failure and insufficiency, other autoimmune, digestive and heart issues to name a few. She also had contracted some rare illnesses from her time serving overseas in remote villages and slums that went undiagnosed for far too long. Additionally cumulative stress from various harmful environments over the years has significantly damaged her nervous system. Some doctors have noted they don't know how she is still alive. She has constant chronic pain and also experiences times of paralysis where she is unable to move or speak. Her case is further complicated by severe, potentially life-threatening reactions to many prescriptions, making effective treatment incredibly difficult. As her primary caregiver I have a deep understanding of what she’s going through on a daily basis, a reality that became even clearer when I also experienced Lyme myself last year.

We've been in survival mode and that’s been the backdrop and steady state for us. What we weren't expecting was a few recent gut punches. Two months ago, I was told my job was being eliminated, which also meant the loss of our health insurance. A few days after our car was totaled when a semi-truck ran into it. Thankfully, we weren’t in it. These setbacks hit just as Joylie received new diagnoses with new and increasing symptoms that were in the middle of being evaluated with a cardiologist.

This health crisis is a complex, multi-system illnesses that has unfortunately not had an easy fix. We have been drowning in medical debt, and now with the recent job loss, we are asking for help to financially reset and continue the urgent treatment that has been prescribed while I look for a new job.

_______________

We need help with:

Bills while I continue job searching

Help towards our replacement vehicle

Recovering from medical debt

Covering treatment and testing expenses

For those interested in the longer version:

For six of our eight years of marriage, my wife, Joylie, has been mostly bedridden with debilitating health issues that began about a year after we found two ticks on her. Her health steadily declined, completely collapsing two years into our marriage. This has affected every area of our lives, and watching her agony has been crushing. Before we got married, I was diagnosed with Crohn's, and for the first year, our focus was on managing my disease.

We have tried a lot of things to get her help. We have been to well over 20 doctors, specialists, and more ER visits than I like to think about. We've spent countless hours researching and have tried many creative ways to do what we can with what we have. The treatment that has been most needed has been to take her to a Lyme-literate doctor (LLMD) or treatment center, which has been out of reach financially.

Her latest diagnosis is dysautonomia and POTS, which explains the vertigo, consistent dizziness, and some of the heart symptoms. Her heart issues are escalating, with chest discomfort, swelling, and palpitations waking her up at night. Her heart pounds with minimal exertion, sometimes even when she's just lying down. Due to the risk of blackouts and worsening symptoms, the cardiologist has told her she cannot bend and must get up slowly. She often falls asleep against her will because her body doesn't have enough energy to be awake or because it takes all her energy to able just digest a meal. We have had to put her further follow-ups and testing on hold for now due to our circumstances.

The mental and emotional toll has been incredibly hard. Imagine not being able to do anything you love: to work, pursue passions, or have a social life, not for a few days, but for six years straight. No matter what you try, you're still sick. It's a constant struggle to find purpose when illness isolates you from the world around you. One of the hardest parts is that pushing yourself to do more only makes you sicker. It leads to a crash; a period of intense symptom flare-ups that can leave you completely bedridden for days or even weeks.

It’s difficult to explain, and we are often left feeling misunderstood and even more alienated.

Experiencing Lyme myself was terrifying. While antibiotics helped me, I still have lingering PTLDS (post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome) symptoms that we are hoping to address as well as we can't afford further complications.

We are currently looking into another attempt for a solution. We have found a Lyme-literate doctor who seems very promising. It isn’t a quick fix, but she has helped many others get into remission, and the doctor really understands, as she has battled Lyme herself.

Additionally, to address the multiple organs and systems affected, and with new and increasing symptoms, we've been recommended to get a further comprehensive evaluation at a place like John Hopkins or the Mayo Clinic.

We are still believing for healing and know that it can come in various methods.

This GoFundMe is set up to help us recover from the strain of the last several years and to move forward with the urgent treatment needed. If you want and have the means to give, we would be incredibly grateful. There is no pressure, and if you have read this far, we genuinely appreciate it. Being heard is a gift.

We need help with:

• Recovering from past medical expenses. For example, we just had to get a couple of emergency appointments within the last few weeks that cost over $7,500. We have $19,000 in medical debt at this point.

• Continued treatment and testing expenses. ($20,000 - 25,000)

• My testing and treatment. ($9,000)

• Our replacement vehicle. An 18-wheeler hit our car, totaling ours. ($5,000 - $10,000)

• A couple of months of help with basic expenses as I try to find a job while taking care of Joylie. ($9,000)

I can't keep letting her get band-aid solutions. I am trying to save her life. She hasn’t been living, and she can’t keep limping on without the treatment she needs. Joylie deserves to live a healthy, whole life; she is a vibrant human who has had life stolen from her. I long for her to live the life that everyone deserves, not one that has been ravaged by sickness.

Thank you,

Joe"

Links for those who would want more info: Lyme Disease (which led to Late Stage Lyme Disease), Lyme carditis, dysautonomia and POTS, PTLDS (post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome)