Hello, my name is Matt. I'm an undergraduate student at Oregon State University; I started a fundraiser here in an attempt to replace my car about a year ago. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to afford a new car; the cost of living in Corvallis is pretty high, and the used car market was (and is) pretty insane. The other reason it didn't work out is because I developed Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and it went undiagnosed for a long time. I think I'm finally close to having the disease under control, and I'll have a car again soon, but I've fallen behind again on rent. I started this fundraiser to help me cover rent for February and March while I use my new car to find a job. I also have a plan for rescuing my degree from all this chaos, but I won't be able to do that if I can't pay rent.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease that runs on my mom's side of the family; it started in 2020, but went undiagnosed until 2024 due to incompetent doctors. My car accident happened just a few weeks after my diagnosis, and the well water where I live was impacting the treatment; synthetic thyroid hormone is used to treat the symptoms of Hashimoto's, but it must be taken on an empty stomach with water, and without any kind of mineral content. The calcium in the well water was interfering with the medication. I figured this out on my own in June 2025 and started taking my medication with RO/DI filtered water, which solved the problem. The doctors apparently slept through their chemistry classes, because they told me this was impossible.

I started seeing a new doctor in November 2025; he ordered 11 blood panels on the first visit, which revealed that my free testosterone levels were also pretty low. I started testosterone replacement therapy last week, and that's making a difference. There is some newer research pointing to sex hormones as important immune system modulators, and men usually don't develop Hashimoto's until testosterone levels decline. It's not a sure thing, but I'm hopeful that the testosterone will help suppress autoimmune activity and prevent flare-ups in the future.

So I'm finally starting to recover. The other good news and a friend is giving me her old car, which I will acquire in a few days. Now I have to work on rescuing my degree; this means I need to find a job to cover my rent, as financial aid isn't available for this situation. I've been selling some old collectibles to cover rent, but I've exhausted those funds and fallen behind on rent as of February. My landlord has been very patient with me, but I think I've reached the end of his tolerance. My rent is $950 per month, and I'll need help covering February and March while I find a job. I also have some overdue bills totaling around $500 that need to be taken care of.

Thank you very much for your support. I'm close to restoring my self-sufficiency; if I can just get through the next two months, I think I can handle the rest.