Help Chris finally beat RA and Lyme disease

Your financial support can help me get the final life-changing treatment I need to return to a productive, healthy life. I’m so close and optimistic—more so today than I’ve been throughout this entire physically and emotionally difficult ordeal. I just need a final push to get there.

In 2006, I left the US Coast Guard after 12 years of service, and cofounded two maritime security and risk-consulting companies. I was busy and excited about this new chapter in my life.

Then, in May 2007, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. That winter I developed flu-like symptoms that lasted about three months. The following spring, doctors diagnosed an active and aggressive form of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Over the next several years, I tried and failed all traditional drug therapies. And my symptoms persisted: severe inflammation and stiffness in all joints; locked joints in wrists, ankles, toes, fingers, and left hip; chronic flu-like symptoms and fatigue; swollen lymph nodes all over my body; brain inflammation; and uveitis in my right eye.

As a result, I was unable work consistently. So I lost my home and was no longer able to perform my duties as a managing member of my two companies. It’s very difficult for me to ask for help, but in June 2011, I relocated to Washington to be near family. Flare-ups meant I could work only part-time—and sometimes not at all. At one point, doctors tried to count all my affected joints and stopped when they reached 80. There were just too many to keep going. I eventually moved in with my mom when I lost my mobility

I was approved for disability in 2020 when I was no longer able to work. Later that year, the VA diagnosed me with Lyme disease and started me on antibiotic treatment. But they made me stop in the middle of it because they decided I didn’t actually have Lyme disease. (In January 2022, a new round of testing confirmed that I do, in fact, have persistent and chronic Lyme disease.)

I was disappointed in traditional treatment options. So when my symptoms continued to worsen, I started doing research into alternative therapies. That’s when I found out about immunotherapy/cellular treatment options that use ethically donated stem cells at a higher volume than is allowed here in the US.

Studies show great results for this treatment. Success rates, in fact, reach 80%, and over 90% of patients report at least a 50% improvement in symptoms. I found a hospital in Mexico—Chispa Hospital—that provides the therapy. So in October 2022, I went down there for the first of two treatment phases targeting arthritis, Lyme disease, and diabetes. I was able to pay the full amount of $35,000 for this first phase, but it nearly depleted my reserves. When I returned home, I continued with Coley’s toxin injections, plus ongoing treatment of hyperbaric oxygen and ozone therapy.

This ongoing care wiped out the rest of my funds.

Now I’m scheduled to return to Chispa for my second, and last, treatment phase: stem cell injections, followed by continued treatment here at home, including a new Lyme disease protocol.

This second phase will cost about $18,500. And that’s where help from generous donors comes in.

I believe in this treatment. I believe in the cure and in my ability to return to health. I just need the funds to make it happen. This is the homestretch of a physically and emotionally devastating period of my life. With your help, I can put this period behind me and resume my place as an active, independent, and productive person.

Thank you so much for reading.