Hello, friends! I am fundraising for my dear friend Kate Tortland, who, along with her husband Daniele, has been fighting life-altering, crippling Lyme disease (with secondary infections) that are steadily growing worse. Her only hope at this stage is a form of blood-dialysis and a

plethora of expensive medicines – none of which are covered by insurance and cost thousands of dollars. I’ve seen her struggle with this for years now, and this is her last hope.

Here is Kate’s story, in her own words:




For years, my health had slowly declined until I was barely functional at the beginning of 2019. Going for short walks or even standing for any period of time would be so exhausting that I’d have to sleep for an hour afterwards. I thought I was dying. It turns out, I was. Finally, my

doctors decided to do a Lyme test, which came back resoundingly positive. At the time, it seemed like a simple answer to a complex few years of worrying symptoms. My husband, Daniele tested positive for Lyme just weeks after me in 2019, after he developed crippling leg
and back pain, and we both went on intensive rounds of strong cocktails of antibiotics. Each time, when the doses would finish, our symptoms would increase, worse than before. Many people are cured using this method, but some, develop a chronic form of these illnesses, which left untreated can ultimately be fatal, and at the least, debilitate life in profound ways. Over time, the antibiotics stopped working altogether, having caused damage of their own, and we began seeking alternative means of treatments, attempting naturopathic remedies, tinctures, and anything we could find that had some chance of working. Nothing seemed to help and eventually the doctors threw in the towel.



In early 2020, I began developing severe flu-like symptoms, including coughing, fevers, swollen lymph nodes, and severe muscle pain, which nothing would solve including all prior antibiotics. So my doctors prescribed even stronger antibiotics, which temporarily relieved the symptoms until the fall of that year when they returned and did not go away, despite treatment. Having exhausted all options for traditional treatments, I am now working with a Lyme specialist based in California, who has prescribed an intensive protocol of various supplements, injections, medications, in-home ozone therapies, and slowly has been chipping away at the illness. Unfortunately, these protocols are not covered by any insurance, and are completely out of pocket, costing us over $1500 each month just for my treatment alone. We decided to see if the treatments had any effect on my symptoms, before committing to Daniele’s treatment. On top of these daily treatments, which appear to be working, this doctor has encouraged a trip to California for additional intensive therapies, including ozone dialysis of the blood, IV nutrient therapies, and a range of other processes that will boost recovery even further. But these treatments are impossible for us to afford, with one single dialysis treatment costing upwards of $3000. (I will need at least three treatments over the course of a week at the clinic, likely more.)


We never expected to be in this position. At the beginning of all this, we expected a few weeks of antibiotics to do the trick, and go on our way. This disease has impacted my ability to work effectively, socialize, function, and has drained our financial resources significantly. We are humbled in the face of this illness, and recognize our need for help from our community. We are blessed to be surrounded by friends and family who have already given so much time, patience and resources to us these past years. We are hopeful by continuing these treatments, I can make a full recovery.