Help Kathy's Mobility Treatment Fund

My name is Jim Marshall. I'm raising money for my wife, Kathy Coffin Phillips Marshall's Post Polio Treatment. I have been there for the last three treatments she's had over 16 years and seen the dramatic results for myself.

We have set up this GoFundMe to help pay the expenses of a Post Polio Syndrome Treatment to restore Kathy's mobility. Our fixed retirement income just can't stretch to cover the cost of the treatment so I'm reaching out to you for help. The 14 day treatment, transportation and lodging will total $7000. The facility in Mesa, Arizona is able to schedule Kathy's treatment for August 7-20. Unfortunately the insurance industry refuses to pay for the treatment.

She was 4 years old and living in Singapore when she contracted acute poliomyelitis leaving both her legs paralyzed and her brain stem affected. Polio vaccines were not yet developed in the early 1950's. Her parents took her to Los Angeles for 3 months of rehab treatment. Week by week, many of her leg muscles improved as her Alfa Motor Neurons branched out to service extra muscles when their neighboring nerves were knocked out by the initial virus. They have been doing double and triple work all these years.

Over the next few years she gained the full use of her left leg and partial use of her right leg enabling her to stand, walk, lose the heavy leg braces, and wear regular shoes. She has led quite a normal life, riding a 50 mile bike ride, slalom water skiing, and swimming in competitions. She finished a B.S. degree in Nursing and worked in hospitals, clinics and public health. She, her husband, and 2 sons traveled the world in route to their mission posts in Malawi, Africa, and Guam. She felt, even though she walked ungracefully, couldn't run, or drive a stick shift, that she had beat the polio.

In 1985 she began to lose her leg muscle strength and heard of Post Polio Syndrome for the first time. Post polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that strikes survivors of the polio virus. PPS occurs 20-30 years after the original bout with polio. It causes slow but progressive weakening of muscles in the entire body not just those initially paralyzed. Brain fog occurs from Polio's initial attack on the brain stem. Her leg strength decreased to the point that she used a wheelchair for traveling distances, had to give up her nursing job, went back into a long leg brace, and found it difficult to remember lists and follow sequencing.

Then in 1998 she read about a treatment program, Neuro-Physical Rehabilitation with Chronologically Controlled Developmental Therapy (C.C.D.T.). C.C.D.T. is the only known treatment for PPS muscle improvement. It uses physiotherapy, massage, relaxation, deep muscle/nerve pressure, and sounds the fetus hears in utero to reboot the nervous system which is the body's computer.

She attended the 14 day, 8 hr/day program with trepidation. It was expensive but it worked! Her muscle strength was back to pre-PPS levels. Over the years, as her strength would begin to wane again, she repeated the treatment 4 times with the improvements lasting up to 4 years. She really needs to repeat the treatment now to boost her nerve function again. She's rapidly losing arm, leg, torso strength and is forced to use a wheelchair, walker, and cane.

Holding up her arms to blow dry her short hair causes arm cramps. Holding herself upright in the car seat on the corners wears out her quadriceps. Leaning out of a chair to retrieve something from the floor brings on rib muscle cramps. Pushing a cart a down a few grocery aisles leaves her legs feeling like jelly. The brain fog is returning. It requires more and more energy for her to multi-task and process everyday tasks. She can get through less and less in a day before fatigue sets in.

Nine years ago I was forced to retire early due to the effects of a systemic inflammation, pain, and mental confusion caused by a severe allergic reaction to the nickel in my new knee replacement joint. She took up the slack and nursed me slowly back to health through multiple surgeries. It was a lasting hit to our finances. After difficult discussions we see no other way except to ask for help.

Thank you for your interest.