<div>In October 2022, I underwent neck surgery, hoping it would improve my quality of life. About a month later, I noticed my fingers turning black and blue, and soon after, painful sores developed on my fingertips. These sores progressed to gangrene, and I ultimately had to have 3 fingertips amputated. Despite seeing many doctors and specialists, it took a long time to discover that I have an aggressive case of Systemic Scleroderma—an autoimmune disease that was likely triggered by the surgery. Since then, my health has declined rapidly. My wrist, hands and fingers have become almost completely crippled, I developed a tumor on my neck, and I suffer from severe, painful sores on my feet and hands. I also sustained a serious shoulder injury that left my shoulder and arm significantly lower than the other, requiring surgery to repair torn muscles and reattach my bicep. My surgeon found more damage than expected and warned that my options for pain relief are now very limited. Without my medications and IVIG infusion treatments my doctors estimate that I’ll need full-time care within a year. Also without ongoing infusion treatments, my life expectancy is only a few years. My wife fought tirelessly with our insurance company to get these treatments covered, and after months of appeals, they finally agreed to help. Unfortunately due to the decline in the economy without notice my wife's position was eliminated. This terminated our health insurance immediately. We now have no source of income or health coverage and the costs have been overwhelming. We’ve depleted our savings, borrowed against our home, and now that wife's position has been eliminated I don't know what else to do, but ask for help. While I try to contribute (I'm legally disabled), even though working often worsens my condition and leads to more medical bills. We’re now living without an income until my wife lands another job which will unlikely let me be on her insurance with a pre-existing condition of Systemic Scleroderma not to mention my shoulder and other health issues. I have to travel out of state every six months to see my specialist, which adds to our expenses. Mary's family has helped us out as much as they can, but we’re at a point where we can’t keep up. There’s no cure for Systemic Scleroderma, and many treatments aren’t covered by insurance because each case is unique. (We've already dealt with that when we had insurance). The stress and worry are immense, especially for my wife, and I’m facing the possibility of hospice care if I can’t afford further treatment. I don’t want my wife to be left with overwhelming debt after I’m gone, losing everything we’ve built together. Asking for help is incredibly difficult for me, but I know it’s time to swallow my pride. I’m reaching out for support to help cover our bills and take some of the pressure off my wife. Your kindness could give me a chance at more time and help protect my wife’s future. Any support you can offer means the world to us.
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Anonymous

Jose Romero

Andrew Clayton

Angie Gann

James Beam

Kenneth Johnson

Lairen Vanderpool

Robert Moore

Tim Belcher

Help Us Fight Systemic Scleroderma

Help Us Fight Systemic Scleroderma

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