Recovery care for Kathryn

Kathryn Cuffe has been with our company, 99designs, since 2016. In late 2017, she was involved in a serious auto collision that set off a series of subsequent complications. Seemingly mild at first, the aftermath of the crash gradually began to rear its ugly head until one day Kathryn could no longer go about her daily routine and had to take medical leave. She has not been able to return to work since.

During her time with us, she was a cornerstone of our company culture – a tough but nurturing spirit and equally the life of the party. It goes without saying she was a friend to everyone in the office as well as many of you who know her in her life outside of work.

Because she is not able to work, her medical bills are a continuous struggle so we wanted to galvanize this GoFundMe to help her out.

Her struggle and condition are complex to explain, so we thought it best to let her share for herself in her note below.

Please consider contributing this holiday season.

A Broken  Brain & Body

In Aug/Sept 2017 I was involved in several incidents which resulted in my suffering several different brain traumas. I was initially diagnosed with a concussion, then post concussion syndrome, debilitating migraines that made it feel like there was a butcher knife in my head, uncontrollable body tics and more. I lost who I was and will never be the same. I found myself confused by the most simple things, memory loss, and the loss of the ability to walk at times. I am a extrovert if there ever was one, but found myself not being able to stay awake for more than a few hours a day and didn't want to see anyone. 

My Dr's, whom are many, had no idea what was wrong with me or how to treat me. Some even questioned me as though they thought I was faking it. My spirits were stalled, I felt defeated and as if this was to be the "new me" that life may no longer be worth being around for. Fortunately for me I have a family, friend and work family who care for me dearly. My company, 99designs, based out of Australia lovingly every month pays for our premiums and offer some of the best healthcare I've ever had, corporate or start up. Because of this I was able to see Dr's whom I wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise. My family kept pushing me to stay on my Dr's to get a diagnosis that was right for my condition. 

Weekly since my accidents, I saw MANY Dr's and sometimes 3-4 times a week. Every visit was $20 for the co-pay and then some bill would come from my insurance. I rode in 3 or 4 ambulances, which after insurance can cost $1,900 for less than a mile. Weekly, I spent $200 easily out of pocket for copays. Fun fact, did you know, even if you hit your maximums they will still send you a bill or send you to collections? UGH, money, insurance payments, doctors appointments and rehab as a fully functioning person can be challenging, little less dealing with all that life and a brain injury.

 Almost one year later, I finally got into the Movement Disorder Clinic at UCSF. He was my 5th Neurologist and diagnosed me, among many other things with something called Functional Neurological Disorder. Sounds super fancy right? Well not really. FND is a blanket term for your brain is screwed up and we don't know exactly how or why. The best explanation I've gotten so far is this, "think of your brain and body as a computer. Your brain is the software and your body is the hardware. FND includes other disorders such as ALS, Parkinsons, Restless Leg Syndrome, and more." 

Weekly I attend neuro rehab to restore memory, dexterity, motor function, deductive reasoning, physical therapy and could end up doing so for the rest of my life. Every day can be different and challenging in different ways. Some days I look, feel and seem totally fine. Whereas on others, I can suffer from brain fog, memory loss, anxiety, non-epileptic seizures and day-ending fatigue or migraines.

While all of this is awful, the brain is an amazing muscle and has the ability to regrow and retrain synapses. Hope and hard work are necessary to keep one with FND from falling into depression. I feel blessed every day to have the support of friends, family and my work family as I go through this challenging time.
 
–Kathryn

Learn about FND >>