Help Marianne Beat Lyme Disease
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Thank you for taking the time to read about the campaign I started for my mother Marianne. After several years of suffering and unanswered questions, she was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease a few months ago. She is a 55 year old Registered Nurse who has been unable to work for quite some time because of the severe and debilitating symptoms that she has to face every day. Some of these symptoms include hot burning pain in her feet, weakness, heart palpitations, lack of energy, dizziness, insomnia and nausea. The symptoms in her feet are so painful that she needs to repeatedly soak them in a cooler of ice water all day long in an effort to relieve some of the pain. This means she needs to carry the cooler with her everywhere she goes. It is a huge ordeal even doing something as little as going to the grocery store. She can only walk or stand a few minutes at a time because of the pain. Unfortunately the symptoms don’t slow down at night. Due to the disease process, the burning sensation and other symptoms increase in the evening and night causing insomnia. Because of the severity of her symptoms, and much more, she has been unable to work since December 2010 when the burning foot pain began.
The reason why I am starting this campaign is because my mother is now going through an extreme financial crisis. She had been granted federal disability and was receiving benefits from a policy through her last job as a nurse. Unfortunately, her employer disability insurance company has cut her off from all of the income she was receiving. This has been incredibly frustrating and difficult to comprehend. She had signed up for this benefit while working as a nurse, as a preventative measure in the event that she was unable to work due to her health. One year later my mom became sick. She received her disability payments for 2 or so years until they completely cut her off without warning. They ignored her doctor’s statements that she was unable to work due to the seriousness of the disease and symptoms. She is currently working with a lawyer with the hopes of getting it turned back on, but in the meantime she is running out of money and options. This has been a very humbling experience for her. My Mom has had to deal with the incredible pain of the disease while trying to diligently work on re-establishing her benefits that are due to her. Through all of this she tries to stay positive, not knowing how she will take care of herself without the money she needs.
A little background info: Her health started to decline in 2007 when she began to experience facial nerve pain and other strange symptoms associated with Lyme disease. She had 3 tests over the course of many years that all came back negative for Lyme disease. We have now been made aware that Lyme disease tests often result in false negatives when the patient does in fact have Lyme disease. But at that time because of the negative tests, the doctors were puzzled at my mother’s mysterious illness. It wasn’t until recently that a doctor tested her again using a well-known lab that tests for Lyme disease only. It finally came back positive for Lyme and other co-infections. She was incredibly grateful to finally learn what had been causing all of the suffering in her life for all those years.
As it turns out, she has had Lyme disease since 2007 when her symptoms first began. We are incredibly grateful that we now have some direction so that she can take action and begin treatment. She has found a great doctor who is very knowledgeable about this disease and she feels like she is in good hands. However she is running out of money. Within a couple weeks she won’t be able to pay for her medical insurance that allows her to see her doctor and receive treatment. Currently she is not able to pay for supplements and foods that she needs to support her body through the healing process. The past months have been a tremendous struggle for her. She is now at the point where she is unable to pay for her monthly living expenses. My mom is very fortunate to be living with her mother who has been very helpful. She does most of the house work and often takes care of my mom. It is her hope that with treatment she will get better and get back to work as a nurse someday in the future helping others. We know that this could take some time though, considering she went undiagnosed and without any treatment for 7 years.
Lyme disease can often cause chronic symptoms that are difficult to manage, but I choose to believe that with treatment my mom’s health is going to improve dramatically and get rid of all of her Lyme symptoms. My mom is such a fighter, and my personal hero. For the last 7 years, she has been doing everything imaginable to find an answer and a cure. She has been to every type of doctor you can think of including a neurologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, rheumatologist, allergy specialist, holistic doctor, regular medical doctors, naturopath, nutritionist, acupuncturist, chiropractor, and more. She has completely changed every aspect of her life focusing on what is important, her health, family, and her faith and spirituality. She is so motivated and disciplined about all aspects of her health. She carefully and consciously chooses good whole foods and nutrition to fuel and nourish her body. My mom accepts each day as an opportunity to continue to lovingly take care of her body, striving to get better. Through all of this she has gained not only wisdom but an incredible amount of knowledge.
It has been incredibly challenging to watch her struggle for so many years. It is only normal and I have to be honest that I have seen my Mom in deep despair but she always pulls herself out of it with a hopeful, attitude. She has so much strength and perseverance. I admire her passion and dedication to her wellness and I know she will get better.
I feel so blessed to have such an amazing mother. She is such a kind, selfless and compassionate person and I would do anything to help her. Thank you for your support and taking the time to read this. With your help she can continue to receive the treatment she needs and continue on the road to recovery and good health. We are forever grateful for anything you can offer, whether it’s a donation, prayer or some kind words. No donation is too small. Many wishes to you for a happy healthy life filled with the love of your family and friends.
The reason why I am starting this campaign is because my mother is now going through an extreme financial crisis. She had been granted federal disability and was receiving benefits from a policy through her last job as a nurse. Unfortunately, her employer disability insurance company has cut her off from all of the income she was receiving. This has been incredibly frustrating and difficult to comprehend. She had signed up for this benefit while working as a nurse, as a preventative measure in the event that she was unable to work due to her health. One year later my mom became sick. She received her disability payments for 2 or so years until they completely cut her off without warning. They ignored her doctor’s statements that she was unable to work due to the seriousness of the disease and symptoms. She is currently working with a lawyer with the hopes of getting it turned back on, but in the meantime she is running out of money and options. This has been a very humbling experience for her. My Mom has had to deal with the incredible pain of the disease while trying to diligently work on re-establishing her benefits that are due to her. Through all of this she tries to stay positive, not knowing how she will take care of herself without the money she needs.
A little background info: Her health started to decline in 2007 when she began to experience facial nerve pain and other strange symptoms associated with Lyme disease. She had 3 tests over the course of many years that all came back negative for Lyme disease. We have now been made aware that Lyme disease tests often result in false negatives when the patient does in fact have Lyme disease. But at that time because of the negative tests, the doctors were puzzled at my mother’s mysterious illness. It wasn’t until recently that a doctor tested her again using a well-known lab that tests for Lyme disease only. It finally came back positive for Lyme and other co-infections. She was incredibly grateful to finally learn what had been causing all of the suffering in her life for all those years.
As it turns out, she has had Lyme disease since 2007 when her symptoms first began. We are incredibly grateful that we now have some direction so that she can take action and begin treatment. She has found a great doctor who is very knowledgeable about this disease and she feels like she is in good hands. However she is running out of money. Within a couple weeks she won’t be able to pay for her medical insurance that allows her to see her doctor and receive treatment. Currently she is not able to pay for supplements and foods that she needs to support her body through the healing process. The past months have been a tremendous struggle for her. She is now at the point where she is unable to pay for her monthly living expenses. My mom is very fortunate to be living with her mother who has been very helpful. She does most of the house work and often takes care of my mom. It is her hope that with treatment she will get better and get back to work as a nurse someday in the future helping others. We know that this could take some time though, considering she went undiagnosed and without any treatment for 7 years.
Lyme disease can often cause chronic symptoms that are difficult to manage, but I choose to believe that with treatment my mom’s health is going to improve dramatically and get rid of all of her Lyme symptoms. My mom is such a fighter, and my personal hero. For the last 7 years, she has been doing everything imaginable to find an answer and a cure. She has been to every type of doctor you can think of including a neurologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist, rheumatologist, allergy specialist, holistic doctor, regular medical doctors, naturopath, nutritionist, acupuncturist, chiropractor, and more. She has completely changed every aspect of her life focusing on what is important, her health, family, and her faith and spirituality. She is so motivated and disciplined about all aspects of her health. She carefully and consciously chooses good whole foods and nutrition to fuel and nourish her body. My mom accepts each day as an opportunity to continue to lovingly take care of her body, striving to get better. Through all of this she has gained not only wisdom but an incredible amount of knowledge.
It has been incredibly challenging to watch her struggle for so many years. It is only normal and I have to be honest that I have seen my Mom in deep despair but she always pulls herself out of it with a hopeful, attitude. She has so much strength and perseverance. I admire her passion and dedication to her wellness and I know she will get better.
I feel so blessed to have such an amazing mother. She is such a kind, selfless and compassionate person and I would do anything to help her. Thank you for your support and taking the time to read this. With your help she can continue to receive the treatment she needs and continue on the road to recovery and good health. We are forever grateful for anything you can offer, whether it’s a donation, prayer or some kind words. No donation is too small. Many wishes to you for a happy healthy life filled with the love of your family and friends.
Organizer
Marianne Nagle McDonald
Organizer
San Bruno, CA
