Help Jack Shea Combat Critical Lyme Disease

Our cousin Jack has been silently fighting this uphill battle for too long.  For any of you who may know him, you know Jack is a 22 year old who was full of life. Always traveling and looking for new adventures. Whether it was camping or jet skiing, or in the garage building something, he was always outside doing things he loved. In May of 2020 Jack was driving home from work when he started to not feel well. He had to pull over, unable to see the road in front of him and having terrible chest pains. Later that week he went to the doctor and had multiple tests done, all of which were negative at the time and they could not figure out what was wrong. He was misdiagnosed several times, prolonging this battle even further. After several months of hospital visits, doctors, specialists, and all sorts of testing, he was eventually diagnosed with Lyme Disease that has spread to his heart and caused Lyme Carditis. He has been treated by several doctors and a Lyme specialist, trying regular treatments from oral antibiotics, multiple daily supplements, rounds of IV antibiotics to intramuscular injections and has even had an internal heart monitor placed. Nothing has worked and he has been persistently deteriorating. Unfortunately this is not your average case of Lyme, the tick that bit Jack was infected with parasites that have spread through Jack’s entire body, including his brain, heart, muscles, and gut. He has lost almost all of his strength, unable to lift more than 10 lbs, stand for long increments of time, or keep his focus. He has to physically support his head while trying to focus his vision, on good days he sees double, on bad days he sees triple and quadruple. He has memory loss and confusion. He has trouble eating and because of that has lost over 30 lbs. He has been through hell and can really use the support.

All of these treatments have been paid for primarily without insurance coverage since Lyme is not a recognized disease in the state of NY. Many tests and medications are not covered. At this time in order to save what function he has left and hopefully overcome this debilitating disease he has traveled to a facility in Florida for treatment under a well known Lyme specialist. The treatments alone cost a minimum of $4,000 a week. They are intense, challenging, and aggressive, receiving multiple infusions a day every day, and is required to have a Mediport placed.  With Jack’s current condition, he could be looking at a year or more of treatment time. But we are hopeful! Him and his family have to start over there and can use any help we can give them. All donations will go to the medical bills that are unfortunately not covered through insurance. Please consider joining our fight and helping our cousin get back to the wild, fun, outdoorsman that he used to be.