Help Kim Martineau fight Cyclic Cushing's Disease
Donazione protetta
Kim's Story (Short Version):
Kim Martineau has a super rare condition called Cyclic Cushing's Disease (literally 1 in a million people have it). It causes her to be INSANELY tired all the time (among several other ailments) and has kept her from being able to work since early 2019 (Kim is an amazing choir teacher at Windsor Locks Middle School). She had surgery in February, and while things were looking encouraging for a while, the most recent news is much less clear (scroll down for Facebook updates from Kim, if you want to hear details directly from her). There are still a ton of unknowns and it has made planning for the future very difficult for Kim and her family. Kim has a loving husband (Jereme) and two wonderful children (Ian-12th grade, Sydney-10th grade).
So what is this GoFundMe campaign specifically for?
We are raising money to go towards a Stop and Shop "Peapod" account to help pay for groceries and grocery delivery for the Martineaus. This will serve two purposes. #1 - with all of Kim's doctors appointments (both nearby in CT and as far as Boston) on top of the schedules of two busy high schoolers and two teachers, the last thing the Martineaus need to be doing right now is going to the grocery store. Peapod will allow them to order groceries online and have them delivered right to their door - saving them both time and physical energy (of which Kim has VERY little to give right now). #2 - Despite having health insurance, Kim and Jereme have incurred A LOT of out of pocket expenses and cash flow has been very tight. Having money to help with groceries would be immensely helpful (though they would never say that themselves).
Who is organizing this for the Martineaus?
Hi, I'm Keith Abrahamson! I am one of Jereme's former students. Martineau (as his students call him) was my choir teacher at South Windsor High School from 2004-2007. I'm so lucky to call him my teacher, mentor, friend, colleague, and even client (I arrange music for his choral groups). Ever since I saw Kim's original Facebook post back in November, I've been bugging Martineau to let me do something to help his family. My wife has taught me that when a loved one is in need... give them FOOD! Well, since I live in Pennsylvania and not Connecticut anymore, this was the best way I could think to do that.
Why should you donate?
Chances are, if you're reading this, your life has been touched in some way by Kim or Jereme. Maybe you're a friend, family member, colleague, current or former student, or even a parent of a current or former student. You most certainly know that they are incredibly kind and generous people as well as inspirational educators. Please consider giving what you can to help them out in this time of need.
Want to know more about Kim's condition? Here are her Facebook posts about it, starting with the most recent:
June 27, 2019
Well folks, the medical jury came back today with the ruling that my brain surgery was unsuccessful. I still have Cushing's Disease and they don't know where the tumor is that is causing it. I kind of felt like I should have been much better by now given that I am 4 months post-op but I needed to hear it from them. They are talking medicine that can dull the symptoms so I might be able to work but the cost is $1650 per day because I need three pills a day and they are $550 each. So, if any of you have an extra $180,000 sitting around you want to get rid of, I would be happy to take it off your hands so I can get a year of meds. If you were thinking that our government is not corrupt, read the last two sentences again and tell me how.
Anyway, I am back to square one after 58 tests and brain surgery. Please be keeping Jereme, Ian and Sydney in your thoughts and prayers as they are the ones who are living this with me and are very stressed. Thanks for all the support you have all been giving me this past year, I pray a year from now, things will be different.
March 18, 2019
Today is a very good day. I got the call from Boston that my post surgery labs are so normal that I have been declared in remission. It will be confirmed with a battery of tests in two weeks but I have no special meds or procedures to worry about! I still have to reverse the damage it has done to my body but I am ready for it! I know that all of your prayers and good vibes made this happen! Thank you to everyone for your love, help and support. We love you all!
February 22, 2019
So I am done with my surgery and have been cleared to go home. I may be setting a record for brain surgery but I was amped up all night and have been walking laps around the Unit for hours. I feel better than I have in months. They found “suspicious” tissue and removed it saying that was about the best they could hope for. Now I will go for almost daily tests for 30+ days to determine if the disease is in remission. I know that so much of this is due to not only amazing doctors, but also all the positivity and prayers I have had from all of you. I couldn’t be more grateful! I still have a long road through recovery but I can do that! From my family and I, thank you all. We love you all! It takes a village to heal an adult, but we have a whole dang country!
January 28, 2019
I know a lot of you have been wondering what is happening with my health. I finally got a firm surgery date today of February 21st! It has been a long 14 months of waiting so I am thrilled to be finally moving towards what we hope is closure on this nasty disease. We can't thank everyone enough for the help, meals and kind words. They mean so much to us. Thanks all!
December 19, 2018
Spent the day at Mass General Hospital talking to the pituitary disease gurus. Sadly, no one knows what precisely to do to cure my Cushing’s but at least we now have a plan. Two more CAT scans from now I will be having my brain surgery to search for the cause. January will be an interesting month. Let’s hope it is also one full of positive results. As always, my faithful, wonderful husband Jereme Martineau was there to ask the hard questions and maybe take a nap on the hospital walls, without him, I would be lost! Thanks to all of you for the prayers and well wishes! They are much appreciated.
November 2, 2018
Seeing that the internet has made privacy impossible, I guess the time has come to share my news. I had planned on waiting but with my job being advertised there is a lot of false info and speculation out there right now so here is the deal.
A year ago I began a hard journey to figure out why I always felt exhausted, gained weight when I didn't eat and a number of other issues. After going through two doctors, I was finally sent to a specialist at UCONN who diagnosed me with Cyclic Cushing's Disease. This is a rare condition that only 1-2 people in a million will get, which always means that I will get it! Cushing's Disease is not easy to explain so if you want more info, I will be happy to talk to anyone personally. The bottom line is that I have a tumor in my pituitary gland which is nestled at the bottom of my brain behind my eyes. This tumor causes my body to live in fight or flight mode all the time which is slowly destroying my internal organs. If left untreated it is fatal.
This coming week I will be having three final procedures/tests that should pinpoint the tumor's location and then will allow me to move to surgery. The good news is that of the three specialists in this disease in the country, one is right here in CT. After I have the tumor removed I will hopefully go into remission and then after a period of approximately 3-18 months where I go through "withdrawl" and my body resets itself, I hope to be a newer, better me.
This has been really hard to deal with and my family is going to continue to feel the brunt of the weight while I cannot work or do much of anything. Please keep Jereme Martineau, Ian, Sydney and our family in your thoughts and prayers while they support me in this process. I also ask for thoughts and prayers for my procedures next week and the surgery to follow. Thanks to everyone who has already been supporting me! You are appreciated.
Kim Martineau has a super rare condition called Cyclic Cushing's Disease (literally 1 in a million people have it). It causes her to be INSANELY tired all the time (among several other ailments) and has kept her from being able to work since early 2019 (Kim is an amazing choir teacher at Windsor Locks Middle School). She had surgery in February, and while things were looking encouraging for a while, the most recent news is much less clear (scroll down for Facebook updates from Kim, if you want to hear details directly from her). There are still a ton of unknowns and it has made planning for the future very difficult for Kim and her family. Kim has a loving husband (Jereme) and two wonderful children (Ian-12th grade, Sydney-10th grade).
So what is this GoFundMe campaign specifically for?
We are raising money to go towards a Stop and Shop "Peapod" account to help pay for groceries and grocery delivery for the Martineaus. This will serve two purposes. #1 - with all of Kim's doctors appointments (both nearby in CT and as far as Boston) on top of the schedules of two busy high schoolers and two teachers, the last thing the Martineaus need to be doing right now is going to the grocery store. Peapod will allow them to order groceries online and have them delivered right to their door - saving them both time and physical energy (of which Kim has VERY little to give right now). #2 - Despite having health insurance, Kim and Jereme have incurred A LOT of out of pocket expenses and cash flow has been very tight. Having money to help with groceries would be immensely helpful (though they would never say that themselves).
Who is organizing this for the Martineaus?
Hi, I'm Keith Abrahamson! I am one of Jereme's former students. Martineau (as his students call him) was my choir teacher at South Windsor High School from 2004-2007. I'm so lucky to call him my teacher, mentor, friend, colleague, and even client (I arrange music for his choral groups). Ever since I saw Kim's original Facebook post back in November, I've been bugging Martineau to let me do something to help his family. My wife has taught me that when a loved one is in need... give them FOOD! Well, since I live in Pennsylvania and not Connecticut anymore, this was the best way I could think to do that.
Why should you donate?
Chances are, if you're reading this, your life has been touched in some way by Kim or Jereme. Maybe you're a friend, family member, colleague, current or former student, or even a parent of a current or former student. You most certainly know that they are incredibly kind and generous people as well as inspirational educators. Please consider giving what you can to help them out in this time of need.
Want to know more about Kim's condition? Here are her Facebook posts about it, starting with the most recent:
June 27, 2019
Well folks, the medical jury came back today with the ruling that my brain surgery was unsuccessful. I still have Cushing's Disease and they don't know where the tumor is that is causing it. I kind of felt like I should have been much better by now given that I am 4 months post-op but I needed to hear it from them. They are talking medicine that can dull the symptoms so I might be able to work but the cost is $1650 per day because I need three pills a day and they are $550 each. So, if any of you have an extra $180,000 sitting around you want to get rid of, I would be happy to take it off your hands so I can get a year of meds. If you were thinking that our government is not corrupt, read the last two sentences again and tell me how.
Anyway, I am back to square one after 58 tests and brain surgery. Please be keeping Jereme, Ian and Sydney in your thoughts and prayers as they are the ones who are living this with me and are very stressed. Thanks for all the support you have all been giving me this past year, I pray a year from now, things will be different.
March 18, 2019
Today is a very good day. I got the call from Boston that my post surgery labs are so normal that I have been declared in remission. It will be confirmed with a battery of tests in two weeks but I have no special meds or procedures to worry about! I still have to reverse the damage it has done to my body but I am ready for it! I know that all of your prayers and good vibes made this happen! Thank you to everyone for your love, help and support. We love you all!
February 22, 2019
So I am done with my surgery and have been cleared to go home. I may be setting a record for brain surgery but I was amped up all night and have been walking laps around the Unit for hours. I feel better than I have in months. They found “suspicious” tissue and removed it saying that was about the best they could hope for. Now I will go for almost daily tests for 30+ days to determine if the disease is in remission. I know that so much of this is due to not only amazing doctors, but also all the positivity and prayers I have had from all of you. I couldn’t be more grateful! I still have a long road through recovery but I can do that! From my family and I, thank you all. We love you all! It takes a village to heal an adult, but we have a whole dang country!
January 28, 2019
I know a lot of you have been wondering what is happening with my health. I finally got a firm surgery date today of February 21st! It has been a long 14 months of waiting so I am thrilled to be finally moving towards what we hope is closure on this nasty disease. We can't thank everyone enough for the help, meals and kind words. They mean so much to us. Thanks all!
December 19, 2018
Spent the day at Mass General Hospital talking to the pituitary disease gurus. Sadly, no one knows what precisely to do to cure my Cushing’s but at least we now have a plan. Two more CAT scans from now I will be having my brain surgery to search for the cause. January will be an interesting month. Let’s hope it is also one full of positive results. As always, my faithful, wonderful husband Jereme Martineau was there to ask the hard questions and maybe take a nap on the hospital walls, without him, I would be lost! Thanks to all of you for the prayers and well wishes! They are much appreciated.
November 2, 2018
Seeing that the internet has made privacy impossible, I guess the time has come to share my news. I had planned on waiting but with my job being advertised there is a lot of false info and speculation out there right now so here is the deal.
A year ago I began a hard journey to figure out why I always felt exhausted, gained weight when I didn't eat and a number of other issues. After going through two doctors, I was finally sent to a specialist at UCONN who diagnosed me with Cyclic Cushing's Disease. This is a rare condition that only 1-2 people in a million will get, which always means that I will get it! Cushing's Disease is not easy to explain so if you want more info, I will be happy to talk to anyone personally. The bottom line is that I have a tumor in my pituitary gland which is nestled at the bottom of my brain behind my eyes. This tumor causes my body to live in fight or flight mode all the time which is slowly destroying my internal organs. If left untreated it is fatal.
This coming week I will be having three final procedures/tests that should pinpoint the tumor's location and then will allow me to move to surgery. The good news is that of the three specialists in this disease in the country, one is right here in CT. After I have the tumor removed I will hopefully go into remission and then after a period of approximately 3-18 months where I go through "withdrawl" and my body resets itself, I hope to be a newer, better me.
This has been really hard to deal with and my family is going to continue to feel the brunt of the weight while I cannot work or do much of anything. Please keep Jereme Martineau, Ian, Sydney and our family in your thoughts and prayers while they support me in this process. I also ask for thoughts and prayers for my procedures next week and the surgery to follow. Thanks to everyone who has already been supporting me! You are appreciated.
Organizzatore e beneficiario
Keith Abrahamson
Organizzatore
Windsor Locks, CT
Jereme Martineau
Beneficiario