Main fundraiser photo

Operation Save Mom

Donation protected
“You just have to hold on a little longer, Mom,” were the tender words my fourteen year old son spoke to me just a few days ago as he tried to comfort me in my suffering. When it gets bad, it gets really bad. This past year has been extra difficult, at times too weak to even walk, having to be transported by wheelchair, it is quite a humbling experience. My son says he remembers the “old me”; it makes me sad when he says that, especially since this is the normal me to my youngest son. But I know they’ve been without their healthy mom for far too long. Lyme disease and Mold toxicity have stopped me dead in my tracks. Taking over my body in a way that has felt eerily similar to the story line of invasion of the body snatchers. At times, it has literally felt like hell on earth. If only I would’ve known that these were the monsters wreaking havoc in my body six years ago when all of this began. So much time and money would’ve been spared. After countless visits to 22 doctors both in network and out of network and $20,000 later, there were no answers. We waited patiently, prayed, cried and grew weary. We wondered when help would arrive? Finally, it has! My illness is no longer a mystery, in September 2016, my test results finally came back with actual answers, and the best part is, my new doctor knows how to get me better. Such relief! But time is of the essence. The Lyme infection is neurological, and it has spread to my heart, completely devastating my immune system, leaving me vulnerable to other terminal illnesses. No longer able to work consistently, care for my family and even worse, my family now has to care for me, it is time to step out in faith and go all in.

It all began when I was thirty-one, first was insomnia, then depression, then cognitive decline, memory issues, mood issues, anxiety and brain fog. Followed by severe heaviness, fatigue and just feeling way off. To vertigo, visual disturbance, extreme light sensitivity and ocular migraines. To heart palpitations, racing heart, air hunger and tiring from just sitting still. I've been sick for six years now, gradually declining the whole time. For years, I sought help through my primary care medical facility in which my insurance covers, as well as private practice physicians, all to no avail. But I could literally feel death breathing it's hot breath down my neck.  

Thankfully, I've been led to a doctor that treats cases like mine successfully. Only, I’m in California and he’s in Florida and unfortunately my insurance doesn't cover Lyme treatment. In faith, I've booked an appointment with this doctor for this February 20th, knowing I have to pay $3,500 at the beginning of each week of treatment. And they're anticipating I will need three to four months of treatment. Not to mention, since we were informed that my whole family is at risk of being infected, my husband and children will need to be tested and possibly treated as well. But I know we will be in good hands with this medical team, and my kid's mom will be safe through all of the potential complications that go along with treating late stage Lyme.

I often find myself feeling useless, like I no longer have purpose or value. Only because, I’ve always been a caretaker and nurturer by nature, with energy to do whatever needed to be done. I went to school and studied how to help people heal through lifestyle changes, I worked weekends for seven years as an Esthetician, loving on people, just so I could be home during the week to look after my children and my grandma. I took pride in my beautiful family. I loved cooking healthy meals, keeping my house homey, volunteering at my kid’s school, playing with my kids and dogs outside, toting my grandma around in her wheelchair everywhere we went. I was strong, I was happy, I was clear minded, creative, I had many things to offer. Admitting this now brings tears to my eyes. I want to be myself again, I miss the simple luxuries of just living life. The luxuries that I will never take for granted again. 

Don’t get me wrong, this nightmare has had its silver lining, and finding the silver lining has always been my survival tactic which has brought me through many challenging times in my life. I have learned so much from this experience. I have learned what it’s like to be cognitively challenged, to be so fatigued that I can’t even clean my house or sometimes even get out of bed, to be so lonely because others must continue living their lives and can’t be there in bed with me, and what it feels like to truly be unhealthy. To walk a mile in these shoes has been rough, but the depth of compassion and understanding that has come out of this experience is priceless. And now I’m left with the feeling of wanting to empower the weak and provide hope to the hopeless. I am literally in a race against time and I'm not done with my work here on earth yet. As cliche as that sounds, my boys are only fourteen and nine and I work in an industry where becoming Lyme literate will literally save so many people from suffering to the degree I have. This I now know is my purpose. As a Holistic Health Educator and Nutrition Consultant, I am excited to use my experience to educate others. It has become my personal mission to help others catch this "mystery illness" before it spreads throughout the entire body of other mothers, fathers, children and grandparents and I cannot wait to get back to work in learning more about Lyme and helping those that suffer from it.

It has definitely been a rough six year patch in our lives. We’ve lost everything in our home to the mold, we’ve drained our life savings on mold remediation and on doctor’s fees spent seeking answers from doctors outside of our network. And now, we have refinanced our home withdrawing our equity, still to find that it’s not quite enough. On the positive side, my family has drawn from this experience what truly matters in life. Love, family, health and contentment. But we all know, positivity won’t pay the bills. So, I ask that you prayerfully consider helping with what my family calls “Operation Save Mom”. So, here I am, humbly before you, asking if you will join me on this mission of not only finding healing for myself and my family, but in obtaining more knowledge by working with this amazing doctor, learning as I go, how to pay it forward once I'm back in action. In closing, I kindly thank you in advance for helping bring back the healthy version of my kid’s mom and my husband’s wife. Please help spread the word to your friends and family if you feel inclined to do so. Blessings and health to you and yours. 

Warmly,

Jen Matricia 


https://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Pages/LymeDisease.aspx

https://www.lymedisease.org/lyme-basics/lyme-disease/about-lyme/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2682960

https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200805/lyme-disease-the-great-imitator

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3bnEjI6Ggw



























Donate

Donations 

  • Micki Hernandez
    • $50 
    • 7 yrs
Donate

Organizer

Jennifer Kipperman Matricia
Organizer
Vacaville, CA

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily.

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about.

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the  GoFundMe Giving Guarantee.