Hi everyone - this is Justin.

Many of you helped my mom, Melissa, back in 2019 when she was battling Neurological Lyme disease. Your support made it possible for her to access treatment, regain strength, and helped us stay afloat during one of the hardest seasons of our lives. We have never forgotten it.

Over the past two years, her condition has unfortunately progressed. She was hospitalized this past year for neurological issues, and since then the Lyme disease has triggered additional problems - including new neurological symptoms and MRI findings her doctors described as markers of Multiple Sclerosis. These overlapping challenges have greatly affected her strength, mobility, and balance, making everyday life much more difficult.

She deals with constant nerve pain, neurological symptoms, and deep fatigue. Even short walks bring on pain and leg weakness, and standing for more than a few minutes becomes extremely difficult. She struggles with balance, coordination, and muscle strength, and even simple tasks - like preparing a simple meal or doing laundry - require pacing and time to recover afterward.

Earlier this summer, she completed a rehabilitation program and made meaningful progress in regaining some mobility. She pushed herself through every exercise and every session. But since coming home, her symptoms have intensified again. Without the financial help and reliable transportation she needs, it’s become impossible for her to continue her physical therapy appointments and hold onto the progress she fought so hard to make.

Right now, she needs help to safely manage daily life and access the care she urgently needs - something that simply isn’t possible without reliable transportation.

At the same time, the financial strain has become overwhelming. She has no stable financial support while she waits for the disability decision, which means even basic expenses and essential care have become unsustainable.

This fundraiser is meant to bridge that gap and give her the stability she needs to keep moving forward with treatment and daily life.

Funds raised will help with:

• Ongoing care and essential expenses

Therapies not covered by insurance, medications, and basic living needs while she waits for her disability decision.

• A reliable vehicle

So she can safely get to medical appointments, therapy, and specialist care.

• Essential home repairs for health and safety

Small but necessary fixes that improve her living conditions and prevent health setbacks.

It’s been incredibly hard to watch my mom lose so much independence. Her condition changes day to day, and she often wakes up unsure what her body will allow. Some days she can move around with support, other days even getting out of bed is a struggle. The unpredictability alone has made life incredibly challenging for her.

I try to help as much as I can, but I’m in school full-time. I’m not doing this because I have to - I’m doing it because she’s my mom, and she’s always been there for me. I want to support her the way she’s supported me my whole life. She really does need help right now, and this is my way of showing up.

My mom is the strongest person I know. She’s fought through things most people will never see, and she keeps pushing forward every day, even when it’s painful or overwhelming. Watching her has taught me what resilience really looks like - she’s the one who showed me how to be strong and never give up. She’s still my biggest cheerleader, even from home. My biggest hope is to see her feeling strong enough again to come to my track meets - something she always loved and hasn’t been able to do for a long time.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

If you’re able to donate or even share this fundraiser, it would make a real difference for my mom - and for me. Every bit of support, big or small, helps give her the stability she needs to keep moving forward during this incredibly difficult stretch.

With gratitude,

Justin (and my mom, Melissa)