Hi! I'm Lucas, or batsoupart on twitter, and I have dealt with disabling and unexplained symptoms over the past year. As my symptoms progress, I now need to use a cane and a wheelchair to get around.

In August of 2020, I started developing overpowering exhaustion, fatigue, and muscle weakness. There are no words to describe how this felt; I became zombie-like, and over time, I was unable to even manage walking myself to the restroom from my symptoms. I could not walk far without needing to lay down flat, I was always out of breath, and even typing on my laptop was causing unbelievable pain and fatigue. I went to multiple doctors crying in their office, begging for any answers, but all of my tests were coming up normal. Finally a doctor diagnosed me with "Myalgic Encephalomyelitis." This is an illness with no known cure or approved treatment, and you are almost guaranteed to get worse over time. It is hallmarked by Post Exertional Malaise, where overexertion past a certain point will cause a crash that leaves me bedridden for weaks, unable to even lift my own head to drink water. I'm lucky to have a partner that provides what I need during these crashes, but what came afterwards was unexpected and heart-breaking for me.

My dad, my greatest friend and biggest support, became seriously ill. He was in and out of the hospital for months from sepsis, pneumonia, and stage 3 heart failure. Because he is diabetic, his pneumonia was extremely hard to get rid of, and he also suffered from an infection within the bones of his hip. His body was fighting infection from December to May, and he still takes daily antibiotics, but his health has miraculously improved. Despite this, the time that I spent being his caretaker, waking up early to administer his IV antibiotics, staying awake and alert all day in case of emergencies, and staying late in the hospital hoping for good news took a huge toll on both my mental and physical health, and I'm left in a permanently worse state than before. I now always need a cane to go out, and oftentimes need to be pushed in a wheelchair to get around, because the muscle weakness in my legs makes it impossible to stand up for too long. The mental toll took me heavily after seeing my dad struggle through this difficult battle, and we were both scared for the future. His medical improvement was the greatest blessing, yet we are now both lost for future plans. I had to drop out of school due to both of our health, and I am now applying for disability.

My health has progressed in more concerning ways. I now experience numbness in my limbs and jolting pain in my arms at random (imagine carpal tunnel, but in the whole limb.) My exertion tolerance is much more sensitive, and just a small chore in the house crashes me for a little while. In this GoFundMe, I am hoping to save up money to see a neurologist who can explain my symptoms and hopefully find something wrong with me that can be alleviated through medical treatment.

With the money raised, I will:

• Pay for a neurologist's multiple visits to get an accurate diagnosis for my symptoms
• Get tests done that can help with diagnosis (specifically an MRI, or a spinal tap)
• Help cover bills and rent over the course of my disability application
• Pay for dentures for my dad, as he is fighting tooth infection in his remaining teeth, and needs to get them pulled and replaced with dentures

I can barely live like this any longer, and my progression of symptoms points to a diagnosis that can actually have treatment available, such as Multiple Sclerosis or a different auto immune disorder. I appreciate any help from all of you, and I hope to be able to pay back to you all by creating more artwork on my better days and having good news to come!

If you'd rather get something out of your donation, please feel free to commission me! My furry artwork is available at batsoupart on twitter, but I also accept commissions of realistic animal portraits done in colored pencil for 60$. Thanks so much!