Project Thai Lu
Donation protected
Dear Family and Friends,
Almost one year ago, we started a discussion about how we can get Thai help. It took a bit of time to convince them to share their story and their pain with the world, but in doing so, not only were we able to raise money for Thai but also awareness of our broken healthcare system.
We are so humbled and grateful for the love, support and donations that were made to our first campaign, Project Patty (please see their back story below). All of the funds have gone towards their procedures in the last year, monthly medications, hundreds of boxes of dressings, and a long list of past due medical bills.
We were thrilled when we hit the $100K mark until we learned that it was already all gone to their delinquent medical debt and their most recent colposcopy and LEEP procedure to treat their cervical cancer. It was no surprise to us, especially since they had no health insurance the year prior, and all the costs we learned from their recent visits to the ER, OBGYN, and oncologist.
Thankfully, we were finally able to find doctors who were able to help Thai answer some questions. These answers led to new medications that partially helped with their pain. Their recent Pap smear was also clear, but they will need to maintain this with a functioning immune system. We were also able to find them a local PCP and start to build a team of specialists. Appointments were made to follow up and continue tests and labs until the country went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
With Thai‘s condition and severely compromised immune system, all the appointments with their PCP, OBGYN, surgeon, and oncologist continue to be indefinitely postponed. In the last four months, their condition has been deteriorating due to interrupted physical care from her medical team. Because they have been bedridden for over a year, without completing diagnosis, and unable to have PT, their walks from the bedroom to the bathroom have been more difficult than ever. They have still not found relief from their constant weeping skin, and their body has adjusted to the maximum dose of pain medication allowed.
Most strange perhaps is now that they actually have health insurance, their medical debt is worse than before because they are no longer eligible for discounts for uninsured patients, and the specialists they need do not accept insurance. New medical bills from doctor visits in the beginning of the year have been processed and are now overdue. Dressings and medications have become an expensive priority in spendings because of their constant skin weeping and pain. On top of this all, they still needs their Endometriosis surgery.
The support we have received has helped Thai begin to manage their illnesses. It has also encouraged them to raise awareness and become an advocate for the sick community. As their able-bodied friends with health insurance and full-time jobs, we did not know what it is like to be chronically ill. We have only had a small glimpse of Thai in pain, every single day of their life, trying to manage receiving proper care for an illness that seems to have no end in sight. While we went about our day to day, working, traveling, and socializing, Thai remained in the same place and in the same state in which we last saw her, only skinnier and weaker. When we went into Coronavirus lockdown, we all suffered from imposed lockdown. Add an illness with too many unanswered questions: this has been Thai’s life for over two years now.
We are here again because we love our Thai and they are still in need of proper care. All donations will go towards their monthly insurance payments, daily dressings, prescriptions, therapies and their Endometriosis surgery coming up. We need to help them get back on track and fight to get better so please keep our Thai in your hearts ♡
We thank you for your support x o x o
Love,
Thai’s friends
♡♡♡
Thai’s Back Story
About four years ago, Thai was diagnosed with an unknown autoimmune disease and they have spent each and every day since dealing with their illness and pain. Their days have been spent in and out of emergency rooms and hospitals, meeting doctor after doctor, looking to find answers or at least some relief to their relentless symptoms. Because they have been unable to generate an income and was left with no health coverage during 2019 due to a clerical error, we started their first campaign. Soon after, they was diagnosed with PCOS and Stage 1 Cervical Cancer.
Previous exposure to black mold in their Brooklyn apartment triggered the Autoimmune Condition. It left them bedridden for a month and every part of their skin was dark red, burning, weeping and swollen, almost as if they was covered in 3rd degree burns. After visits to the ER, being put on oral steroids seven times in 2017 along with topical steroids, their symptoms only worsened. Their compromised immune system and the topical steroid withdrawal caused a staph infection, and after yet another hospital visit later, the doctor advised them not to return to their apartment. With only a handful of options left on the table, Thai’s husband, Pete, packed up their belongings while Thai waited in the hospital and they moved to LA with the hopes that their condition would improve.
Despite the move and many doctor visits, they have since been suffering with chronic inflammation and skin weeping on a daily basis. On top of that, the unknown autoimmune disease combined with their Endometriosis bring on a bad flare up every month during their cycle, which puts them in an immobilizing amount of pain. When Thai was first diagnosed with Endometriosis when they were 13 years old, they were put on birth control throughout their young adult years as many young patients are as a treatment for this disease. Fast forward to their current years, their cycles bring their sensitive skin to become stiff with dryness and the deep red burning, swelling, and weeping begins again. After a couple of weeks of constant pain, cramping, and skin weeping, it takes another couple of weeks for them to build up the energy to achieve a manageable state, just in time for another cycle to start again.
After thoroughly searching for an OBGYN doctor to treat their insufferable periods and their Endometriosis, Thai met with one of the best in Los Angeles. The doctor added PCOS to her diagnosis and explained to Thai that they should undergo the Endometriosis surgery as soon as possible. Because they did not have the funds to cover the surgery, they were only able to have a routine Pap smear. The Pap smear results came back indicating abnormal HPV cells so they had another test, a colposcopy, which resulted in the findings of high grade precancerous cells. The doctor urgently advised that they needed to be removed right away because if not, these abnormal cells may become cancerous and spread to nearby normal tissue. Thai then underwent a LEEP procedure to remove the cells and to determine if they were cancerous. A deeper look at the pathology report showed the cells were found to be in fact cancerous and Thai was diagnosed with Stage 1 Cervical Cancer. The cancerous cells have been removed but as of now and Thai started treatment with a referred oncologist.
Almost one year ago, we started a discussion about how we can get Thai help. It took a bit of time to convince them to share their story and their pain with the world, but in doing so, not only were we able to raise money for Thai but also awareness of our broken healthcare system.
We are so humbled and grateful for the love, support and donations that were made to our first campaign, Project Patty (please see their back story below). All of the funds have gone towards their procedures in the last year, monthly medications, hundreds of boxes of dressings, and a long list of past due medical bills.
We were thrilled when we hit the $100K mark until we learned that it was already all gone to their delinquent medical debt and their most recent colposcopy and LEEP procedure to treat their cervical cancer. It was no surprise to us, especially since they had no health insurance the year prior, and all the costs we learned from their recent visits to the ER, OBGYN, and oncologist.
Thankfully, we were finally able to find doctors who were able to help Thai answer some questions. These answers led to new medications that partially helped with their pain. Their recent Pap smear was also clear, but they will need to maintain this with a functioning immune system. We were also able to find them a local PCP and start to build a team of specialists. Appointments were made to follow up and continue tests and labs until the country went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
With Thai‘s condition and severely compromised immune system, all the appointments with their PCP, OBGYN, surgeon, and oncologist continue to be indefinitely postponed. In the last four months, their condition has been deteriorating due to interrupted physical care from her medical team. Because they have been bedridden for over a year, without completing diagnosis, and unable to have PT, their walks from the bedroom to the bathroom have been more difficult than ever. They have still not found relief from their constant weeping skin, and their body has adjusted to the maximum dose of pain medication allowed.
Most strange perhaps is now that they actually have health insurance, their medical debt is worse than before because they are no longer eligible for discounts for uninsured patients, and the specialists they need do not accept insurance. New medical bills from doctor visits in the beginning of the year have been processed and are now overdue. Dressings and medications have become an expensive priority in spendings because of their constant skin weeping and pain. On top of this all, they still needs their Endometriosis surgery.
The support we have received has helped Thai begin to manage their illnesses. It has also encouraged them to raise awareness and become an advocate for the sick community. As their able-bodied friends with health insurance and full-time jobs, we did not know what it is like to be chronically ill. We have only had a small glimpse of Thai in pain, every single day of their life, trying to manage receiving proper care for an illness that seems to have no end in sight. While we went about our day to day, working, traveling, and socializing, Thai remained in the same place and in the same state in which we last saw her, only skinnier and weaker. When we went into Coronavirus lockdown, we all suffered from imposed lockdown. Add an illness with too many unanswered questions: this has been Thai’s life for over two years now.
We are here again because we love our Thai and they are still in need of proper care. All donations will go towards their monthly insurance payments, daily dressings, prescriptions, therapies and their Endometriosis surgery coming up. We need to help them get back on track and fight to get better so please keep our Thai in your hearts ♡
We thank you for your support x o x o
Love,
Thai’s friends
♡♡♡
Thai’s Back Story
About four years ago, Thai was diagnosed with an unknown autoimmune disease and they have spent each and every day since dealing with their illness and pain. Their days have been spent in and out of emergency rooms and hospitals, meeting doctor after doctor, looking to find answers or at least some relief to their relentless symptoms. Because they have been unable to generate an income and was left with no health coverage during 2019 due to a clerical error, we started their first campaign. Soon after, they was diagnosed with PCOS and Stage 1 Cervical Cancer.
Previous exposure to black mold in their Brooklyn apartment triggered the Autoimmune Condition. It left them bedridden for a month and every part of their skin was dark red, burning, weeping and swollen, almost as if they was covered in 3rd degree burns. After visits to the ER, being put on oral steroids seven times in 2017 along with topical steroids, their symptoms only worsened. Their compromised immune system and the topical steroid withdrawal caused a staph infection, and after yet another hospital visit later, the doctor advised them not to return to their apartment. With only a handful of options left on the table, Thai’s husband, Pete, packed up their belongings while Thai waited in the hospital and they moved to LA with the hopes that their condition would improve.
Despite the move and many doctor visits, they have since been suffering with chronic inflammation and skin weeping on a daily basis. On top of that, the unknown autoimmune disease combined with their Endometriosis bring on a bad flare up every month during their cycle, which puts them in an immobilizing amount of pain. When Thai was first diagnosed with Endometriosis when they were 13 years old, they were put on birth control throughout their young adult years as many young patients are as a treatment for this disease. Fast forward to their current years, their cycles bring their sensitive skin to become stiff with dryness and the deep red burning, swelling, and weeping begins again. After a couple of weeks of constant pain, cramping, and skin weeping, it takes another couple of weeks for them to build up the energy to achieve a manageable state, just in time for another cycle to start again.
After thoroughly searching for an OBGYN doctor to treat their insufferable periods and their Endometriosis, Thai met with one of the best in Los Angeles. The doctor added PCOS to her diagnosis and explained to Thai that they should undergo the Endometriosis surgery as soon as possible. Because they did not have the funds to cover the surgery, they were only able to have a routine Pap smear. The Pap smear results came back indicating abnormal HPV cells so they had another test, a colposcopy, which resulted in the findings of high grade precancerous cells. The doctor urgently advised that they needed to be removed right away because if not, these abnormal cells may become cancerous and spread to nearby normal tissue. Thai then underwent a LEEP procedure to remove the cells and to determine if they were cancerous. A deeper look at the pathology report showed the cells were found to be in fact cancerous and Thai was diagnosed with Stage 1 Cervical Cancer. The cancerous cells have been removed but as of now and Thai started treatment with a referred oncologist.
Organizer
Kim Alice
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY
