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Todd medical fund

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Hello,
 
My name is Todd Clark. I was recently diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis And Now Cancer.  Unfortunately my Doctor says it is the most severe form of Myasthenia Gravis. The road leading up to the diagnosis was devastating, both financially and emotionally. with many tests and trial medications, I have been drained. The symptoms range from complete facial muscle failure, dizziness and severe pain at times. I am now on medication that requires weekly blood tests. It is helping, but I still lose my capacity for speech and sometimes lose all my facial muscles. Obviously, it has taken away my ability to work and produce any income. I am self employed with no disability insurance. I have been denied Social Security and have exhausted all my resources.
 
  I have put down my pride and am asking for assistance. It is a very difficult thing for me to do.  I have put my goal at $6500.00. This will not cover all my medical costs, but hopefully get me through until I can work again.
 
Thank you for any help you can give, and I look forward to paying it forward when I am healthy.

Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body. The name myasthenia gravis, which is Latin and Greek in origin, literally means "grave muscle weakness." With current therapies, however, most cases of myasthenia gravis are not as "grave" as the name implies. In fact, most individuals with myasthenia gravis have a normal life expectancy.

The hallmark of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness that increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. Certain muscles such as those that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, chewing, talking, and swallowing are often, Are involved in the disorder. The muscles that control breathing and neck and limb movements may also be affected.
What causes myasthenia gravis?

Myasthenia gravis is caused by a defect in the transmission of nerve impulses to muscles. It occurs when normal communication between the nerve and muscle is interrupted at the neuromuscular junction—the place where nerve cells connect with the muscles they control. Normally when impulses travel down the nerve, the nerve endings release a neurotransmitter substance called acetylcholine. Acetylcholine travels from the neuromuscular junction and binds to acetylcholine receptors which are activated and generate a muscle contraction.

In myasthenia gravis, antibodies block, alter, or destroy the receptors for acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction, which prevents the muscle contraction from occurring. These antibodies are produced by the body's own immune system. Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease because the immune system—which normally protects the body from foreign organisms—mistakenly attacks itself.
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Donations 

  • Susan Alfonso
    • $200 
    • 9 yrs
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Organizer

Todd Clark
Organizer
Sioux City, IA

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