Let's help Dawn

Dawn Remsen is a kind and selfless person. Those who have had the pleasure of meeting her know that she is incredibly warm and generous. She is also very private. What she doesn’t share is her struggles with chronic, debilitating and life-threatening health issues resulting from Lyme Disease. Treatment for Lyme Disease, while simple for some, is hard to come by and very expensive for Dawn because of severe allergies to antibiotics. As her close friends we know that Dawn would never ask for help, but we know we need to before it is too late. Lyme Disease is currently causing a huge decline in Dawn’s health and her emotional well-being. Every day she goes without treatment is one less day she is partaking in life.
From July through November of last year Dawn underwent Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy at the Lyme Disease Clinic in Virginia. This highly effective treatment is not covered by insurance. Dawn used all of her savings to stay in Virginia and get healthy. It was a long process but Dawn learned that she had contracted all 10 of the possible strains of Lyme that ticks can carry. This explained why her side effects were so severe and ranged from mental confusion, to vision problems, to muscle aches and pains to digestive issues. Even more fascinating her doctors determined that she was actually born with Lyme Disease that she contracted from her mother. Dawn’s health issues had been a mystery since she was a child, leaving her doctors baffled and her clinging to life. The Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy gave her hope for the first time. She was looking forward to pursuing a career as a baker. As money ran out, Dawn returned home, better, but not cured.
Unfortunately, Dawn has experienced a steady decline in her health since November. With her savings depleted, she has little hope of undergoing further treatment. Her doctors have recommended treatments that are not approved by the FDA or covered by insurance, or even offered in the U.S. to help find permanent relief from her symptoms. The cost ranges somewhere between $75,000 and $100,000. So debilitated by her illness, Dawn cannot simply get a job to raise the funds. She is now in the process of selling her baking equipment and anything of value, essentially selling her dreams. It is heartbreaking to watch such a wonderful person suffer this way. Please help us by donating anything you can so that Dawn can afford to return to treatment. She has lost so much time, and suffered for so long. She deserves to have a fresh start and to follow her dreams.