<div>Hello!! My name is Arianna Carlsen; I'm raising this GoFundMe because I'm absolutely terrified of losing my bestfriend (Alana Von Ende) to the Reaper due to the rate of her physical decline that requires 2 life-saving surgeries to treat a rare form of lipedema and we've exhausted all resources trying to find a way to fund her procedures literally all year and medical insurance abandoned her.
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<div>Alana has rescued me from a severely abusive situation I was trapped in for 13 years until January 2016 (she &amp; I met online January 2012) and I moved in with her ever since then and helped me build up a new life.
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<div>She's kind, funny, understanding, generous, selfless, and gives it her all in life. And me, I DESPERATELY want to save her life in exchange through raising this fund as this is our last resort option.
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<div>She already found THREE lipedema specialists/surgeons, HERSELF, and finally has a confirmed diagnosis by one of them, but the unfortunate thing is they only take cash upfront and won't work with HMO medical insurances (PPO is not much better).I get physically stressed out and upset just over the idea of no longer having Alana by my side in life.
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<div>I personally don't care about money unless it goes straight towards her procedures, I value her company over everything else in life and she's literally fighting for her life and has a strong will to live.
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<div>If anyone can donate, ANY amount will help.Every donation will relieve our high stress levels and will give us hope that there's still wonderful understanding souls out there like us. But most importantly, Alana's life will be saved and she can continue to make others laugh and inspire others with her art.
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<div>To get a more in depth explanation as to whats going on i will be copy pasting a journal entry she posted online. Ill let her explain in her own words the situation she is in and why it is so dire.
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<div>"Since the age of 13, id been struggling with a condition called lipedema. I was recently diagnosed with a rare presentation of lipedema, my form has it all over my body in a disproportionate manner that is uncommon for the condition.Over time its gotten worse and negatively affected my health.
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<div>Now it is advancing quickly almost like a cancer, as it exacerbates my other conditions like ehlers-danlos and other genetic conditions i have, causing a domino effect thats leading to a rapid decline in my health.For the entire year, ive been battling with my insurance to try to get treatment to get my lipedema deposits surgically removed.
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<div>Assuring me theyd try to do whatever they could to help me and told me they had my back.
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<div>However ive been getting the runaround being sent to drs who cant help and arent qualified.
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<div>I fought with them and appealed the denials, going all the way to an ALJ judge, being told by law they HAVE to treat me.
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<div>Only to then eventually be told case is closed because they did what they were supposed to by offering me treatment. What? They sent me to yet another unqualified dr who was confused as to why i was even sent to him. Dr said i should be seeing a lipedema specialist. Lol no shit.
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<div>So i appealed again. However it looks like my appeal this round may have been thrown out. I then fought with my insurance again and now they are full on backpeddling and refusing to help me, saying that its not medically nessicary and what i want is "cosmetic" and that all drs are out of network and i cant see them because they dont take my hmo.
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<div>They see the condition as "youre just fat" not the fact lipedema is a literal disease of the fat cells. They dont function right and accumulate in areas disproportionately and places they shouldnt. The deposits effectively act as tumors as they are resistant to diet and exercise.
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<div>I have talked to all 3 lipedema surgeons and they requested paperwork like LOA my indurance info etc. My primary already did out of network paperwork etc.
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<div>However someone within my insurance is cockblocking me and refusing to send the requested paperwork to the drs who want to see my info to see if they can help me. The claim is they said "no" to my insurance that they cant treat me when i know that is BS because after talking to them personally thats not at all what they said to me.
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<div>So i paid for a consultation with one of the surgeons, i then found out by the dr office that my insurance had the AUDACITY to try to call them to cancel my paid appointment because I wasn't allowed to see them because they didnt take medicare. Wtaf.
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<div>Once they found out i paid they fucked off.
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<div>I then saw the surgeon who wanted to help me. We then learned my insurance LIED about this dr having signed paperwork preventing him from taking Medicare patients. Telling us he never signed anything like that and there should be no reason he cant treat me.
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<div>After that I was then diagnosed with a rare form of lipedema and staged at stage 3 type 3 severe.
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<div>My condition is critical.
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<div>My mobility is being robbed from me, im on my way to becoming wheelchair bound and losing motion in my arms.
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<div>Meanwhile my chest is being crushed and giving me breathing issues because of the lipedema deposits accumulating on my chest. Its exacerbating my ehlers danlos and other issues, now affecting my bloodpressure, and other parts of my body functions. Basically i was told that because my situation is deteriorating so rapidly....im now essentially dying due to complications caused by lipedema.
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<div>We talked about the proceedure and quoted me for the surgery.I need a total of 2 surgeries, most of my body needs to be treated.
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<div>Feet, Legs,thighs,Arms, chest,abdomen.
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<div>heres the problem.
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<div>I need to have full cost upfront before theyll do surgery.
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<div>The surgery is around $200,000. And thats WITHOUT hospital overnight stay plus aftercare.
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<div>And i have no way to pay this.
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<div>How tf is anyone able to find that kind of money?! Im disabled, with no job.
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<div>Im not a popular or well known artist so i dont have enough clout or followers to get help via gofundme, i cant get loans, i have no one to help me.
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<div>So im now in a life threatening situation.
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<div>My insurance is full on pulling denial of service in bad faith, none of the lipedema drs take insurance and are out of pocket, and i am unable to retain a lawyer who is willing to help me with my case. Ive called so many...ghosted.
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<div>I'm screwed....
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<div>Ive been thrown to the side like trash while being left to rot and die....my future is going to be that of being confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk or move my arms.
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<div>Unable to draw, cook or even play games. Id be forced to sit and watch the days go by while being a conscious sack of potatoes......id have no quality of life and be miserable 24/7 until i asphyxiate to death from the lipedema finally crushing my lungs.I dont want to die like that...I dont know what to do.......
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<div>I feel like the universe has abandoned me..."
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Arianna Manzoni

Max D

Help Alana Fight Lipedema and Reclaim Her Life

Still $209,678 to go. Help us build momentum.