Operation Lift Chris

The most commonly affected area for Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is the armpits, making it difficult to lift your arms. So, because Chris can’t really lift his arms, we’re going to do the lifting for him!

My brother, Chris Helmick, is suffering with severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa also know as HS, along with several other autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s Disease, Colitis and Psoriasis that has drastically impacted his quality of life. He has gone through multiple surgeries, many different medications, shots, antibiotics, steroids, emergency room trips, doctor visits, hospital stays, drastic weight loss, nerve damage and more.

He was fortunate to work for a company that truly cared about him and his well-being. Unfortunately, his pain and lack of mobility in his arms has reached the point where it’s too difficult for him to work, which is why I’ve created this GoFundMe. Because he can no longer work and hasn’t been able to receive disability at this time, he needs some assistance to afford the necessities:

• Rent/utilities
• Medical bills
• Groceries, Wound Care, etc.

He’s been suffering with depression and anxiety for many years and I know the thought of not being able to work and afford rent is added anxiety that he doesn’t need. Actually, from what I have read, stress and anxiety can exacerbate his HS.

We are really grateful you are taking the time to read through Chris’ story and any amount you can give big or small is GREATLY APPRECIATED. Thank you for making an effort to Help Someone.

About Chris

My brother can be a little shy and reserved when you first meet him, but if you are lucky enough to get to know him, then you can relish in his funny sense of humor (sometimes cynical), creativity, generosity and hardworking spirit.

He’s the type of person that would run toward screams for help rather than away. The type of person who would give you the shirt off his back (if his HS didn’t hinder him from lifting his arms up to get the shirt off). I remember hearing him tell me about how he was wearing thick socks one winter and took them off to give to a homeless man who did not have any. He doesn’t hesitate to help others, which is why I can’t hesitate to help him in his time of need.

His HS has progressed so rapidly in so many parts of his body that normal things like putting on a shirt, walking or driving can look like an impossible feat some days. He’s in constant pain from his HS and has a lot of stomach issues from his Crohn’s and Colitis. He can’t follow a strict diet for his HS because some of those foods give him a lot of digestive issues with his Crohn’s and Colitis.

He has become more socially isolated because of his constant pain, insecurity about his wounds/appearance, his temperamental stomach, and his lack of physical mobility to do things. Not to mention he has a weakened immune system from the medication he is taking.

My children (ages almost 2 and almost 4) love their Uncle Chris, but don’t get to see him very often because he feels guilty that my daughter wants him to pick her up and he is physically unable in his current condition. And he’s also concerned that they are going to jump on him and hurt him worse. It warms my heart to see how well they interact with him when they do get to see him, but saddens me to know he wants to do more with them and physically cannot.

Chris’ Journey to a Diagnosis

Chris had his first cyst removed from his tailbone in high school. We were under the assumption it was a one time thing and wouldn’t be a problem in the future. He underwent surgery to get it removed and my mom took the job of cleaning and packing his wound to make sure it healed properly.

Several years later he had another cyst (lesion) form on his tailbone and a few other places like on his face near his jawline. As these formed, he would go to the doctor and they would drain the cysts and/or try to remove them.

More pain and lesions appearing—more draining/surgeries—no answers to what it is and why it is happening. These last 5 years have gotten progressively worse. I remember hearing him call my parents from his car in his work’s parking lot in too much pain to get out of his car and walk into his work. Not to mention when the wounds would open up, they would seep through his clothing. Talk about anxiety…the constant worry of oozing through your shirt or pants for everyone to see. With everything going on in his life, I truly admire the positivity he finds throughout the day.

Towards the end of 2019, Chris was finally diagnosed with HS. He went through more excisions on his armpits, thighs, buttocks and other areas. These lesions came back immediately right next to the spots he had his excisions. And has been on and off antibiotics, steroids and other medications ever since.

This past year, before he had a proper diagnosis of all of his autoimmune diseases, was very scary for our family. In June of 2020 my brother called my parents shaken and concerned. He went to the bathroom and there was a lot of blood that sprayed out. I’ll never forget my mom going over there and telling me, “It was a lot of blood. No, Ashley… A LOT of blood.” He looked fragile and pale. So, they rushed him to the emergency room. He was admitted to the hospital as they scheduled him for tests and tried to figure out what was wrong. Only one person per day was allowed to visit him while he was in the hospital due to COVID. Because he had lost so much blood, they gave him an infusion of 1 pint of blood. He was in the hospital for 10 days straight and really… he should have been in there longer, because 3 days later when he went to the doctor for a follow-up, they sent him back to the hospital where he stayed for an additional 3 days and received 2 more pints of blood.

It’s hard to describe the fear and helplessness you feel when someone you love is in the hospital and not doing well. My parents and I truly feel like we were close to losing him and we’re so thankful he got to the hospital when he did. He not only looked frail, but you could hear it in his voice. He had lost all depth in his voice—it was soft and took so much effort to get out what he could. And not to mention he went from being 6’ tall and weighing 210 pounds to weighing 145 pounds in a very short time. It’s heartbreaking to see anyone go through something like this, let alone someone you love.

Chris has been tried on several different medications to try to stop the progression of his HS and get his Crohn’s in remission. Ever since he was little he did not like shots. I mean no one actually likes shots, but he really, really did not like them. Now he has to psych himself up to give himself shots.

He started an infusion called remicade to help his Crohn’s and his HS. He felt some relief from his first infusion of the remicade, but zero relief from the next couple infusions. He then switched physicians and they ran more tests on him. An important test they ran was to check his body for antibodies for the remicade, which they found. That’s when we learned that most of the time they prescribe an immune suppressant (like medication cancer patients take) to take along with the infusion, so his body wouldn’t build up antibodies to the remicade medication. Because he has these antibodies, they had to switch him to a different kind of infusion.

He is still playing the game of rotating medications in hopes of finding the right combination that will help him.

In the meantime, Chris underwent a laser surgery to remove the lesions and tracks in his right armpit. This type of surgery has about a 3% recurrence rate, which is astronomically lower than the regular excisions he has had. However, the laser surgery is very intense. They start by removing all the skin in that area, then follow the tracks with the laser—you’re awake the whole time they are doing this and it takes hours. They then try to smooth out the area where you no longer have skin so it can grow back with less distortion. It takes 12-16 weeks to heal and it has to be bandaged in a specific way, so it does not fuse his arm and chest together. Looking at his wound after this surgery looked like someone poured acid on his armpit or a small shark came and bit a chunk out of it. It took him weeks to be able to put a shirt on. I can’t imagine the pain and insecurity he feels from that wound.

Because his HS is so bad, he needs to get his other armpit done as soon as possible. He is currently in the process of trying to get that scheduled, but it can take months.

I am hopeful that these surgeries and the right combination of medications can help Chris get stronger and healthier. And I hope that one day he can pick his niece and nephew up again.