<div>Updated August 2026
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<div><strong>Help Kristen Fight for Her Life</strong>
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<div>First, thank you for taking the time to read this. My dear friend Kristen is in a critical place, fighting for her life every single day with a strength that’s hard to describe. She needs your help now more than ever.
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<div>Years ago, Kristen was full of life and promise. She had a thriving career, a fiancé, and dreams of starting a family. But all of that was stolen from her by a series of devastating chronic illnesses and diseases. Kristen now battles a complex list of painful, debilitating conditions: Polymyositis, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Late-Stage Lyme Disease, Endometriosis, Severe Fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, Dysautonomia, and Fibroids. These aren’t just names, they are daily, relentless battles she faces in her own body.
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<div>Kristen never imagined her life would take this turn. She did everything “right”—prioritized her health, worked hard, and planned for the future. But she was dealt a brutal hand. While others around her build careers, families, and lives, Kristen has spent the last decade largely bedridden, enduring unimaginable physical suffering and pain.
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<div>Her days are filled with 24/7 pain, sickness,
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<div>and extreme fatigue. Every movement, even just sitting upright, brings more agony. She often tells me, “My body and brain are broken. I am not safe in my own body.” Her symptoms include cognitive dysfunction, neurological issues, muscle spasms, joint instability, heart problems, weakness, unbearable pain, migraines, fevers, dizziness, nausea, and more. The toll it has taken on her mind, body, and spirit is indescribable.
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<div>Kristen has been officially disabled since 2015, and for years, she fought silently. But now she desperately needs financial help. Her long-term disability settlement has run out, and she’s sold nearly everything of value just to survive. She previously worked tirelessly for an animal protection charity that failed to inform her of her eligibility for long-term disability benefits. By the time she found out, the window to file had passed. Despite years of exhausting legal battles, she only received a small portion of what she was owed. Their careless mistake cost her not just financial support, but years of security and peace of mind. SSDI is helpful, but it’s not enough to support an individual’s basic needs without additional assistance.
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<div>Her needs are ongoing—treatments, procedures, prescriptions, tests, therapies, mobility aids, supplements, OTC medications, and basic living expenses. There are no cures for her conditions, and her care is complicated, expensive, and constant. She says, “I’ve become more of a science project than a human being. I’ve lost nearly all of my physical abilities and now live in my bed. But I’m still here, still trying. I want to keep fighting this year, especially as new scary symptoms have emerged. I’m committed to raising awareness about chronic illness and disability, and I pray my story can help others.”
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<div>Statistically, people with disabilities need an average of $20,000 more per year than able-bodied individuals just to exist. Yet the system isn’t built for the disabled. She’s expected to survive on much less when she actually needs more. She cuts costs wherever possible, but rising living expenses and gaps in Medicare coverage have left her in an increasingly vulnerable position. She can no longer do the work she once relied on to make a living, but she’s doing her best to keep going.
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<div>If you’re able to donate, no matter how small, or share this campaign with your network, it could change Kristen’s life. Truly.
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<div>From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your compassion, your generosity, and for standing beside Kristen during the most difficult time of her life.
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<div>With gratitude,
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<div>Brad
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<div>Before:
</div><img alt="51457862_1715961439389957_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961439389957_r.jpg" width="100%" /><img alt="51457862_1715961478643966_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961478643966_r.jpg" width="100%" /><img alt="51457862_1715961532680235_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961532680235_r.jpg" width="100%" /><img alt="51457862_1715961550234134_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961550234134_r.jpg" width="100%" /><img alt="51457862_1715961560412583_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961560412583_r.jpg" width="100%" /><img alt="51457862_1715961614685251_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961614685251_r.jpg" width="100%" /><img alt="51457862_1715961632815744_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961632815744_r.jpg" width="100%" />
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<div>Now:
</div><img alt="51457862_1715961656910968_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961656910968_r.jpg" width="100%" /><img alt="51457862_1715961682632628_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961682632628_r.jpg" width="100%" /><img alt="51457862_1715961709394066_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961709394066_r.jpg" width="100%" /><img alt="51457862_1715961732873633_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961732873633_r.jpg" width="100%" /><img alt="51457862_171596174371385_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_171596174371385_r.jpg" width="100%" /><img alt="51457862_1715961749247419_r.jpg" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/51457862_1715961749247419_r.jpg" width="100%" />

Lucas Rhed

Ashley Bowne

Jake Vollmer

Anonymous

Craig Abrahams

Christine Sever

Todd Smith

Hank Ruff

Thomas Frank

Jeff Ruby

Lauren Switzer

Julie Swift

Stephen Wooten

Samantha Hagio

Help Kristen Survive Chronic Disease & Disability

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

be_supporter_comments_enabled_supported_funds

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Help Kristen Survive Chronic Disease & Disability

Still $5,981 to go. Help us build momentum.