This is an ongoing fundraiser in support of Janni, age 57, who is autistic, bed- and wheelchair-dependent and suffering from multiple autoimmune diseases, including Lupus and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, as well as the condition Pseudotumor Cerebri, which manifests as a strong pressure inside her head, mimicking the symptoms of a brain tumor with widespread pain and recurring migraines.

Janni’s Pseudotumor Cerebri has also affected her hearing and frequently forces her to stay in a reclined position to relieve the pressure and keep her eardrums from popping.

She is in dire need of a craniotomy but can neither afford it nor reach the right kind of surgeon as she lives in a small rural town.

Even with all her troubles and severe physical limitations, Janni was, until very recently, the sole caregiver to her father Charlie, a WWII veteran, who sadly passed away on October 26th from advanced stage lymphoma at the age of 95.

Charlie was a kind-hearted, funny, brilliant and wonderful person who remained in great spirits until the very end.

Janni loved her father very much and is still in shock and heartbroken over his passing.

She has been in too much physical and emotional pain to move or do much of anything, and yet, she has had to work on funeral arrangements for the man she loved more than anything in this world, all while battling an infection she had acquired during a recent hospital stay in addition to her multi-system illnesses.

For years, Janni and Charlie endured unimaginable neglect from their community resources, repeatedly being turned away by medical professionals, due to not being able to afford the “right” kind of health insurance, and even the American Veterans Administration, which, coupled with their medical conditions, poverty and problematic surroundings, contributed to years of crippling anxiety and trauma.

Separated from her dad by the levels of a small, old-fashioned house that was never intended for wheelchair accessibility, and a defective chair lift, which cannot be directly operated by the person it carries, Janni had to get creative to make meals for her father several times a day for many years and send them downstairs via the chair lift instead.

She also had to have small cameras installed to watch over him in case he would fall while trying to get up or making his way to the bathroom.

Having to monitor her father day and night at all hours resulted in severe insomnia on top of Janni’s other symptoms, which she hasn’t been able to address or recover from.

So much suffering would have been avoided if Janni’s dad had had a full-time carer. And if Janni had even just a part-time carer, her life would be so much richer and happier.

But the neglect from healthcare professionals and community institutions continues as Janni is now trying to navigate an uncertain future alone with chronic illness, disability, severe trauma and nearly no one to help her.

One friend can stop by and help out on occasion but cannot do so nearly as often as is needed and there are no family members living anywhere nearby.

With only her small disability stipend left as a current source of income and still being stuck in the upper level of her house, Janni has to be able to afford grocery and medication deliveries each month in addition to doctor and hospital bills, mortgage and utilities.

Her stipend barely covers a fraction of these costs, making it near impossible for her to eat, keep the lights on and a roof over her head.

Some of her medical bills are partially covered by her limited health insurance, but rather large co-pays (the part of the bill to be paid by the patient) always remain and she has no way of paying for any of them.

The only thing ever offered to her in terms of financial aid is something called the “Medicaid Waiver Program”, which preys on the most vulnerable members of society and takes full advantage of them, whilst cleverly disguising itself as a form of 'help' from the government. This 'program' would require her to sign over her house and still have to pay upwards of $300 a month to get some occasional assistance.

Despite accessibility issues, virtually falling apart, and posing several additional health risks in its current state, the house is the only thing Janni has left, and even if she had the extra money, she simply could not risk it this way. It would only be possible to sell the house after significant refurbishment, which she is also unable to afford in her current situation.

Moving anywhere else is something she could neither afford nor physically manage at this time, and even if she sold the house, she would not be able to afford to go elsewhere as she has refinanced her home twice making the monthly mortgage payments so low that anywhere else she moved to would be substantially more expensive. Janni has checked into this and it simply isn't feasible.

The purpose of this fundraiser is to help Janni to survive the coming months, to help her access the medical care she so very much needs and richly deserves and to help her regain some quality of life.

For this reason, the final goal amount of this fundraiser may still go up.

Please donate if you can, spread the word as much as you can and keep Janni in your wishes and prayers.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

For further information about Janni’s situation, please visit her blog at Janni Online

There has also been an Amazon Wishlist established with items that Janni needs to help her in her quest to keep energy bills and utilities low. There are also items on the list to make her home more accessible. Lastly, there are items on the list which would enable her to get to medical appointments in a timely and more accessible manner (unlike her current situation). If you would like to help, please feel free to check out the wishlist by clicking on the link here: Janni's Wishlist