Help Liza Kick Crohn's Ass (...again)
Donation protected
Hi there. I’m Hannah, and I’m raising money for my friend Liza—who, despite being one of the most brilliant and resilient people I know, is currently being outmatched by our absolute hellscape of a healthcare system.
Here’s the deal: She found a treatment that works for her severe Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Insurance won’t cover it. It’s cost prohibitive. And without it, she’s looking at a slow slide back into being so sick she can’t care for her kid, turn a doorknob, or, you know, avoid slowly bleeding to death out her asshole :)
The Short Version
- My friend has severe Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) + a critical peptide medication got her into remission last year
- Insurance won’t cover HBOT for IBD at all, and they’re forcing a six-month break from the peptide treatment just to ‘make sure she really needs it'
- The medication used to be affordable before Trump-era policy changes jacked up the price
- She already pays hundreds out-of-pocket every month for medical supplies just to exist
- Her body is not-so-subtly falling apart again since she had to cut back on HBOT sessions
- She needs this treatment ASAP, before things get worse
- She’s already lost three organs + five feet of intestines to Chron’s Disease. Let’s make sure she gets to keep the rest!
The Ask
We're trying to raise $8,000 to cover:
✅ The treatment she needs to get back into remission
✅ The ability to take time off work and actually rest (because healing isn’t a side hustle)
She’s been pushing through, doing everything she can to sustain her health on top of working multiple jobs after losing work earlier this year thanks to union-busting and federal grant cuts (no comment).
Why This Matters
I’ve known Liza since summer camp. Back then, we stayed up late talking about whether ghosts were real and practicing sick harmonies to Indigo Girls songs. Now, we stay up late talking about why insurance companies get to decide whether or not she gets to keep her remaining organs...
Before she found this treatment, she was in constant pain, exhausted all the time, and barely able to be the mom her son deserves. Last summer, after an intensive course of HBOT, she finally got better. She finally had energy. She finally felt like herself again.
She deserves to keep feeling that way.
If you can donate, thank you—every little bit helps. If you can’t, please share this so we can get her the care she needs.
Because honestly, if a literal lifesaving treatment exists, and the only thing standing in the way is money, we should be able to fix that.
Thank you. ❤️
Organizer and beneficiary
Hannah Belisle
Organizer
West Orange, NJ
Liza Frolkis
Beneficiary