Faby....needs your help.

This was my wife, Faby, performing with me in San Pancho, Mexico. I remember it like it was yesterday. This beautiful, compassionate, talented, creative woman would throw everything she had into whatever she was doing. Nothing was going to hold her back. She knew at the time that her health was declining, but that didn't stop her from playing through the pain and giving everything she had to capture every last little moment of joy that this life has to offer. The decline was random and relentless. The muscle aches, headaches and general discomfort led to a debilitating lack of mobility. Again she fought through it and put together an amazing collection of photographs. I would drive her to places where she could work for a short time, then collapse at home. We always thought that we would find a solution. We tried everything. She was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, then chronic fatigue syndrome. She developed TMJ, which increased her already painful daily headaches. Then her knees would go out. Then her back, putting her in bed for a couple of months again. Just never any breaks. For brief moments and thousands of dollars later, we would occasionally find a treatment that would help, but only for a moment. Of course, each time we tried something new, the person offering a solution would be "certain" that this was "the" answer. When you're desperate, you try anything and just hope. It's so devastating to throw all your hope into a new treatment, only to have your hopes crushed and have to start alll over, usually from a place that was worst than when you started. All this to say that after so many years of starts and stops, we reached a breaking point. A few years ago, Faby was finally diagnosed with chronic lyme disease. This is a very debilitating complicated disease that is very similar to ms. Right now this beautiful incredible woman, my Faby, cannot walk outside the apartment. Has only done so a handful of times in the last 3 years. We both pretty much were ready to give up hope.

Then we heard about a clinic that specializes in chronic lyme disease in Germany. Alviasana. They've been treating people with chromic lyme disease for years now with great success and we didn't even know they existed. (We moved to France a few years ago because we couldn't afford the health care in America. Miss it so much, but we just can't afford to live there anymore.) So we called and started the process of what will essentlally be a life-saving treatment plan at Alviasana.

Which brought us here. To Go Fund Me. To you. We are both humbled to have to ask for help, but there's no avoiding it anymore. 8 weeks at this clinic will cost us, at a minimum, $40,000. They think we'll be there for 2-3 months. We're living off my pensions now and pretty much have nothing left at the end of the month, let alone $40,000+ for this treatment. We both know there are so many others out there suffering different but equally horrible afflictions. So it's extremely hard to ask for help, but we have no alternative. Either she gets this treatment or spends the rest of her life lying in bed suffering. That's what it's come down to. Sorry for being so blunt, but I don't know how else to say it.

Thank you for listening. I love my wife so much and dream of a day when she can, like in the picture, throw her head back, close her eyes, smile and just enjoy the simple and beautiful act of living again. So we throw it out there into the universe and see what happens...any and all help will be so very very greatly appreciated.

I wrote a simple jazz ballad for Faby a few months back. Here are the words.

"Everybody needs to have some fun

Everybody needs to feel the sun

Everybody needs to find a way....away

Right now the world is spinning upside down

Having trouble just trying to hang around

Everybody needs to find a way...away...."