Help Rachel & Dani regain their quality of life!

If there is one thing I've learned in the last 6 years, it's that our medical system is not made for the chronically ill. Since 2017, we've watched our Dani-girl get more and more sick. In October of 2021, we turned our lives upside down to relocate to Madison, WI. She was seeing a specialist in Milwaukee and we soon knew, deep down, that we needed regular access to a better medical system. It was worth it. She has stabilized. However, even as we invest deeply in her care, some areas have not improved. Her anxiety is still crippling and years of being bedbound due to pain has caused her body to become deconditioned. This causes regular dislocations, subluxations (partial dislocations), and strains. She regularly has ribs pop out of place, which is extremely painful, and can't stand or walk for more than a few minutes, due to blood pooling in her feet.

She has been recommended to a new, one-of-a-kind, program at Rogers Behavioral Health called The Integrated Healing Program (IHP) which is specifically designed for kids with chronic medical conditions who need help both mentally and physically to live the life they deserve. This is a Godsend for her. The only problem is that it's a 4-6 week program that is all day, M-F, and is too far to commute (approx 2 hours away). This will require time off work, travel expenses and numerous out-of-pocket costs.

Under normal circumstances, we could make this work. However, now I need to tell you a little bit of my own story. (Rachel)

We've learned that the hereditary, genetic condition that is the root cause of Dani's health issues, (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) came from me (and my side of the family). Right after we moved to Madison, my health decided to join the dark side. In February 2022, I had a 5-day hospital stay and it just continued on from there. I've had several ER visits, a kidney stone, entered into perimenopause, (oh the joy) and have had an ungodly amount of tests.

On Thanksgiving weekend, I fell on a concrete floor, broke my tailbone and rupture a disc in my spine. (my 2nd in 2 years) The pain started mildly but has been steadily increasing since February. I couldn't get in for an MRI until April. In May, I lost my job. I was without a job for over a month. In the meantime, I finally got into an Orthopedic Spine specialist in June and was told the only hope for pain relief was surgery. I've been living between an 8-10 on the pain scale for months, so any news of pain relief was welcom. What was not so welcome, was the news that it would be 8 weeks before I could have the surgical procedure. It was scheduled for August 15th.

When July finally exited stage right, I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel. So of course, last week I found out that my new short-term disability plan will not cover my absence due to a pre-existing condition exemption clause called the 3/12 limitation. I bawled, for days. At this point, I can barely function. I'm gaining weight from the countless pain medications I'm on and yet I still consistently have to work and live with pain, both nerve pain and muscle spasms, that would normally have me in the ER.

The surgeon tells me that I need to take 6 weeks off to allow the spinal disc to fully heal. Otherwise, I run the risk of the spinal disk rupturing again. Ya'll, I already have over $10,000 in medical debt (and that's with health insurance) and most of our savings were used up while I was between jobs.

So, here we are, desperately asking for help. CJ and I truly don't know how we will financially survive the next 2 months but we have trust. Trust in God and in the generosity of many good-hearted people. Can you help our family? We've set a goal of $11,00 that will help cover my missed income, travel expenses, and out-of-pocket medical fees. If our financial needs can be met, we will have an ideal situation of me being able to recover and rest while simultaneously staying with Dani during her Integrated Health Program. However, that will only be able to happen if we receive help from our family and friends.

Will you give? Your gift will do more than give us funds to stay afloat financially. It will most importantly give Dani and me a chance to regain our quality of life. To live lives of significantly less pain and significantly more joy. Whatever amount you can afford will be so appreciated. Thank you.