- K
- K
To anyone taking the time to stop, read, and take a glimpse into my life on a very deeply personal level:
First and foremost, thank you. Thank you for thinking beyond yourself to learn about a situation that may never directly affect you. Thank you for trying to support me in times where the American healthcare system and society has failed me and many other young, Black women in healthcare. As can be expected, I am about to tell you about the intricacies of living life with the many conditions I have. It may be triggering for some, as I will delve into the mental health aspect of this struggle and I will not sugarcoat my suffering.
About three years ago is the first time I was hospitalized with cyclic vomiting, intense abdominal pain, and extreme symptoms resulting from severe fatigue and malnourishment. From that point, I went from 145 lbs to a measly 114 lbs; skin and bones does not even begin to cover it. This is the beginning of my journey with Gastroparesis, a condition that is rare, untreatable, and my doctors have yet to find a cause for. Now, it is coupled with a recent diagnosis of Endometriosis, a very painful and debilitating condition for young women as every period, ovarian cyst, and gynecological abnormality is increased tenfold and directly inflames my Gastric issues. I have large patches of baldness as a result of the stresses and symptoms of my other medical conditions. It is largely unknown what, but it is suspected that a great auto-immune disorder is at play and causing all these other conditions; which I am thoroughly investigating and working on solving. However, that still leaves me in crippling pain nearly every day of my life, to the point I have had to quit my job and remain at home on bed rest. I often am too “out of it” to even try and distract myself with video games or music. My boyfriend has to hold my arms and help me walk around while I’m doubled over in pain, and I often need a cane to get around. It is the single most painful experience of my life, I have been on more morphine and opioids in these past few years to address the pain than many will face in a lifetime. Yet, despite having legitimate reasons for my pain and diagnoses for my conditions, I still have received horrible mistreatment in the American healthcare system and suffered from malpractice. I have been told I was faking it while I had a hernia from vomiting so severely. I have been told to try birth control, time and time again, despite the endometriosis having the ability to develop into cancers and despite how it directly triggers my severe stomach condition. I have been ignored, sitting in the ER for 3 and a ½ hours before a doctor even came in to see me and prescribe me pain medication. My pain has been severely prolonged due to improper healthcare practices and negligent people in the field; exacerbating my condition to the giant, ugly beast I am fighting today. The anxiety of waking up every day, knowing it will likely be just as painful as the last, is overwhelming even with my mental health in formerly good standing. The depression of sitting inside, in bed, every day and living with such pain is such a hard thing to fight, and the love of my friends and family have been monumental in doing so. I am genuinely having a very hard time, and this is why I come to you all asking for help. With me unable to work, and the lack of cooperation from our landlords, my boyfriend and I have been living check by check, barely able to afford my million prescriptions because we have not gotten any breaks in light of the COVID pandemic. I can elaborate extensively on how these renters have severely wronged us, from not fixing bannisters for months and creating a dangerous environment for disabled people to closing their office for weeks without telling anyone when this pandemic first broke out; letting us call and call every day to try and work out payment plans and moving arrangements only to be ignored and told rent is due in full the first of the month when they reopened. They are not doing right by us, and leaves me so desperate I have to ask other people in similarly bad situations if they can spare anything to help out. I am not looking for thousands like the GoFundMe of that Starbucks kid who was just doing his job. I am merely looking for whatever people can spare, to help me afford one more medicine or help me afford a little bit more of our insane rent. It has been hard to come forward and share my story like this, it brings me to tears just revisiting the antiseptic horror that is my recent relationship with American Medicine. I am asking for help in any way possible, and am eternally grateful for you just stopping to read this. All I want is to regain my health, so that I can continue my dreams of entering the medical field to help prevent other people from experiencing the negligence and suffering I have. But I cannot heal if I am homeless, and cannot go to school when I am so gravely ill. I am a senior Biochemistry student at Stockton, a musician, a nature-lover, and a fellow humanitarian, and I humbly come to you as a member of your community to ask for your help.
Thank you again for you assistance in any way,
Sierra Snead
First and foremost, thank you. Thank you for thinking beyond yourself to learn about a situation that may never directly affect you. Thank you for trying to support me in times where the American healthcare system and society has failed me and many other young, Black women in healthcare. As can be expected, I am about to tell you about the intricacies of living life with the many conditions I have. It may be triggering for some, as I will delve into the mental health aspect of this struggle and I will not sugarcoat my suffering.
About three years ago is the first time I was hospitalized with cyclic vomiting, intense abdominal pain, and extreme symptoms resulting from severe fatigue and malnourishment. From that point, I went from 145 lbs to a measly 114 lbs; skin and bones does not even begin to cover it. This is the beginning of my journey with Gastroparesis, a condition that is rare, untreatable, and my doctors have yet to find a cause for. Now, it is coupled with a recent diagnosis of Endometriosis, a very painful and debilitating condition for young women as every period, ovarian cyst, and gynecological abnormality is increased tenfold and directly inflames my Gastric issues. I have large patches of baldness as a result of the stresses and symptoms of my other medical conditions. It is largely unknown what, but it is suspected that a great auto-immune disorder is at play and causing all these other conditions; which I am thoroughly investigating and working on solving. However, that still leaves me in crippling pain nearly every day of my life, to the point I have had to quit my job and remain at home on bed rest. I often am too “out of it” to even try and distract myself with video games or music. My boyfriend has to hold my arms and help me walk around while I’m doubled over in pain, and I often need a cane to get around. It is the single most painful experience of my life, I have been on more morphine and opioids in these past few years to address the pain than many will face in a lifetime. Yet, despite having legitimate reasons for my pain and diagnoses for my conditions, I still have received horrible mistreatment in the American healthcare system and suffered from malpractice. I have been told I was faking it while I had a hernia from vomiting so severely. I have been told to try birth control, time and time again, despite the endometriosis having the ability to develop into cancers and despite how it directly triggers my severe stomach condition. I have been ignored, sitting in the ER for 3 and a ½ hours before a doctor even came in to see me and prescribe me pain medication. My pain has been severely prolonged due to improper healthcare practices and negligent people in the field; exacerbating my condition to the giant, ugly beast I am fighting today. The anxiety of waking up every day, knowing it will likely be just as painful as the last, is overwhelming even with my mental health in formerly good standing. The depression of sitting inside, in bed, every day and living with such pain is such a hard thing to fight, and the love of my friends and family have been monumental in doing so. I am genuinely having a very hard time, and this is why I come to you all asking for help. With me unable to work, and the lack of cooperation from our landlords, my boyfriend and I have been living check by check, barely able to afford my million prescriptions because we have not gotten any breaks in light of the COVID pandemic. I can elaborate extensively on how these renters have severely wronged us, from not fixing bannisters for months and creating a dangerous environment for disabled people to closing their office for weeks without telling anyone when this pandemic first broke out; letting us call and call every day to try and work out payment plans and moving arrangements only to be ignored and told rent is due in full the first of the month when they reopened. They are not doing right by us, and leaves me so desperate I have to ask other people in similarly bad situations if they can spare anything to help out. I am not looking for thousands like the GoFundMe of that Starbucks kid who was just doing his job. I am merely looking for whatever people can spare, to help me afford one more medicine or help me afford a little bit more of our insane rent. It has been hard to come forward and share my story like this, it brings me to tears just revisiting the antiseptic horror that is my recent relationship with American Medicine. I am asking for help in any way possible, and am eternally grateful for you just stopping to read this. All I want is to regain my health, so that I can continue my dreams of entering the medical field to help prevent other people from experiencing the negligence and suffering I have. But I cannot heal if I am homeless, and cannot go to school when I am so gravely ill. I am a senior Biochemistry student at Stockton, a musician, a nature-lover, and a fellow humanitarian, and I humbly come to you as a member of your community to ask for your help.
Thank you again for you assistance in any way,
Sierra Snead