My name is Rachel, and I'm 36 years old. When I was 28 years old, I was sent into permanent disability after a tragedy that had occurred, resulting in PTSD, and it nearly resulted in me losing my life to suicide. I have diligently been seeking therapy and medical care on a weekly basis to improve my mental health. Since then, however, the cascade of life stressors has triggered an autoimmune disease that is ravaging my body. I have been in a flare state that has left me completely bedridden or in the hospital or doctor's office for the majority of the past year and has resulted in multiple surgeries to deal with complications. We have been unable to maintain the costs and, as a result, have maxed out our credit cards and taken out a second mortgage to pay medical bills and continue to struggle paying monthly bills timely to keep up. We are currently seeking help to try to get caught up and cover outstanding medical bills that are due to maintain receiving care. Anything and everything helps at this point.

Currently, I am undergoing further diagnostic assessments to try to find an effective medication to treat the inflammatory arthritis to halt the progressive destruction. I have tried 3 DMARDs, chemotherapy, and steroids along with regular weekly PT and therapy sessions to manage the severe depression and prevent my joints from completely freezing and retain some mobility despite the destruction of my joints and the pain and being bedridden. Once this diagnostic assessment is complete, they are hoping to put me on a biologic medication, but that will be quite expensive as well, and we are trying to get caught up with critical bills to maintain our living in our home and receiving care.

We are desperately in need of funds to help us get current on our utilities of electric and water, as well as the outstanding medical balances for my psychotherapy and psychiatry appointments, and the outstanding medical bills for dental and medical procedures from my hip surgery, so that we may get caught up, and focus on debt consolidation and management plans to deal with the credit cards, that will allow us to maintain our home and stay caught up on bills.

I am humbly asking for assistance in reducing these huge stressors to more manageable levels while I am seeking treatment to try to get my life back and get healthier. It is the most humiliating thing to ask for financial help, but I am just unable to juggle it all anymore and am desperately trying to keep my head above water a little longer until the doctors find the right medication that helps me.

If you have any way to share this GoFundMe, that will help. If you have a little extra cash you can donate, that will help. If you are extremely generous and just want to help with a donation, that will help.

I would like to extend my gratitude for you taking the time to read this, as your time matters and is important. Thank you for sending thoughts and prayers into the universe for me, and thank you from the bottom of my heart and with all of my soul for any assistance you may provide us financially.

I love you all and appreciate you.