Support Our Mom's Recovery From Infectious Disease

Dear Friends and Family,

My mom, who is a very private person, has been going through an extremely traumatic health crisis since December 3rd. For the sake of her privacy, I have withheld from making a gofundme for as long as I can. As she lives in Nashville, I've had to stay back and work until recently in order to support her financially during this time.

On Christmas Eve, I found out that my mom had fallen dangerously ill. She was treated for pneumonia on multiple occasions over the course of 3 months, only to find that several other illnesses coincided with an infectious disease she was diagnosed with just this past week.

In November, she was prescribed a medication called Humira. What we soon found was that this medication has been the subject of numerous lawsuits. After her initial trip to the hospital, the doctor advised her to stop taking it and predicted she would recover quickly. She stopped the medication and continued to get worse.

After two months of being bedridden, she was then diagnosed with a gallbladder blockage that required a surgery. Due to insurance complications, she attempted to wait for the new insurance to be in affect before getting the surgery. During this time, her health continued to deteriorate, and she was still unable to stand, walk or breathe normally. Upon returning to the ER, she was again diagnosed with several acute and unidentifiable issues and again, sent home.

A few weeks later upon calling an ambulance, she spent two weeks in the ICU. This time, the doctors found that because she is extremely immunocompromised due to the Humira medication, this made her susceptible to contracting disseminated histoplasmosis, which is a deadly infectious disease. This disease comes from bird and bat feces that fall into soil, turn to mold and eventually, spores are released into the air and inhaled. Once inhaled, it causes a fungal infection that runs rampant throughout the body. She had to undergo numerous procedures to stay alive, and the doctors said that if she had delayed going to the hospital for just two more days, she would have lost her life.

The treatment for disseminated histoplasmosis is intense and has severe side effects, specifically on her kidneys, on which she had surgery. The treatment will take a full year, and she is so weak that she will need several weeks of physical therapy in order to walk again.

My mom is a nurse who worked three jobs. She was on the front lines during the peak of COVID-19, and I remember how she had to run an entire floor by herself. She was working this amount to save up so she could move back to California to be with my siblings and I. This experience has been utterly traumatic for all of us, and we are still in shock. In conjunction with my personal business ventures, artist project (which I’ve since put on hold) and taking care of my mom, I’ve exceeded any personal funding to help cover these medical expenses. My family and I are overwhelmed and unable to keep ourselves and our mom afloat.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that she worked separate jobs, all three deemed that she is ineligible to receive long-term disability or paid sick-leave. There is a possibility that her PCP will give her short-term (1-2 month) disability, however, we still don’t know where they stand on this currently and so far unfortunately it has not been promising. In addition, because she is immunosuppressed, it is unsafe and too traumatic for her to return to her job as a nurse and risk being exposed on a daily basis.

And as you can imagine, this is a major setback for her, as she and I depleted all of our savings in order to cover rent and additional living expenses during this time. It breaks my heart that my mom, someone who dedicated their life to caring for others, is in this situation. I am forever indebted to the nurses, doctors, and surgeons who saved her life and am unable to describe the depth of my gratitude for the constant support we’ve received thus far from friends.

My goal is to raise $12,000. This would be enough for her to move home to California, cover outstanding medical bills, and insure she’s not leaving this situation with nothing to her name. This has been a completely dehumanizing experience for her and I want my mom to know she’s not alone.

I am humbly reaching out to you for help. Any contribution, no matter how small, would be deeply appreciated. Your generosity will go a long way in helping my mom get the care she needs and start a new chapter in her life. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.