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Hi. My name is Renae Mach the sister of Douglas Wayne Mach. I am currently trying to raise money for his medical bills and expenses. He is 25 years old and was diagnosed with an autoimmune neuromuscular disease called myasthenia gravis in 2010. Basically his body produces antibodies which attack the nerves which signals the muscles to move and they become weak and paralyzed. He is mostly affected by having weak face muscles, unable to eat or swallow and has trouble breathing. There is no cure, only treatments. In 2011 he had a major surgery performed similar to open - heart surgery called thymectomy (removal of his thymus gland) which normally sends a person into remission but in his case so far it has not. Over these past 4-1/2 years he has had numerous hospitalizations due to myasthenia crisis' and infections from lines for treatments due to low immune system. He has suffered from 8 spinal fractures due to severe osteoporosis caused by side- effects of the medications. For 2-1/2 years he has had central lines in and has been traveling to Memorial Hermann Medical Center downtown Houston to receive plasmapharesis treatments which is what removes the antibodies from his blood. Most recently he was hospitalized in April 2015 for bacterisl staph infection in bloodstream and was sent home with a picc line for a very strong dose of antibiotics every 8 hours. He currently was life-flighted last Friday and admitted to Memorial Hermann Medical Center in the neurological ICU. He was in respiratory failure and had to be intubated. Also having staph infection in bloodstream still, had a myasthenia gravis crisis and almost 100% blockage in right neck jugular vein and some blockage on the left neck jugular vein. He is still in ICU intubated but they have him awake to try and build his strength so they can remove the tube. He is making progress slowly. Medical expenses are adding up fast from hospital stays, traveling to and from for treatments, medicines and specialty doctors. Douglas has been trying to work on the farm with my grandparents but his health is not allowing him to work much. I just want to help him out and ease yhe burden as worrying and stress aggravates his disease. He remains positive hoping one day he goes in remission. Any help is appreciated.

