Help Angie's Battle with Lyme Disease

Angie Ballard has been a friend of mine for 33 yrs and she has Lyme Disease and it has become debilitating. She is a friend through thick and thin, and she is at a point in her life where she needs us, her friends, family, even strangers, to pitch in to help her.  She fell ill in April 2016 and became so sick that she could not properly take care of herself.  Surgical samples have provided DNA confirmation of multiple, serious chronic infections caused by Lyme Disease. Symptoms like migraines, dizziness, extreme fatigue, joint pain, tingling and numbness in her limbs and a variety of other neurological symptoms made her so physically drained that she had to stop working in August of 2016 and has not been able to work since and her insurance company has denied her claims for long term disability. Since the CDC denies the existence of Chronic Lyme Disease, insurance companies are not required to cover costs related to the disease. Patients spend an average of $53,000 per year out of pocket for tests, doctor visits, pharmaceuticals and supplements.  She had to move out of her rental in CA and relocate to CT to live with her Brother because she has exhausted her life savings and retirement savings in order to cover her medications and treatments for Lyme Disease, not to mention groceries and other things we take for granted day to day. She worries daily about how she can afford treatments to continue to get better, as well as how she can work again if she can’t afford treatments.  I have visited her twice recently and while she may have looked somewhat fine, her body is weak, she has memory loss, and she struggles with daily tasks most days. 

People can't tell a person has Lyme Disease sometimes.  This is what Lyme looks like for her.  When her face and body breaks out in rashes that last for weeks, she stays home because she is in pain as well as embarrassed to show her face. If you have had or know someone who has had shingles, her pain is worse and her flare-ups are frequent. 
If you'd like to learn more about Lyme Disease, watch this video, Lyme and Reason https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL-fBeEd6LI, and consider following; https://www.facebook.com/LymeDiseaseChallenge for daily information posts, https://www.facebook.com/lymebook/ to hear from Lyme advocate Dana Parish and Dr. Steven Phillips. Yolanda Hadid's symptoms closely mirror Angie’s, and are detailed in her book 'Believe Me'.

What your donation will contribute to:
- Appointments with her specialists 
- Maintenance IV care 
- Extensive blood testing to monitor her infection levels
- Medications and necessary supplements not covered by her insurance

If you can kindly spare $20, $40, $50 or more to help her with her treatments so that she can fight this disease, it is greatly appreciated. Let's help Angie fight Lyme Disease with our support so that she can get back to a normal life again!

Thank you!