LUPUS SUCKS

Billie-Rose has had Type 1 diabetes majority of her life. She was diagnosed at age 5 and she has dealt with the responsibility of this disease since. Back in March 2017 she got very sick and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. She was sent home not long after arriving with no answers to what was wrong with her. She has been in and out of the hospital since then. It wasn't until November 2017 that she was diagnosed with Lupus after a two week stay in Upstate Hospital. That was 8 long months of not knowing what was going on with her body. Many of the professionals she came into contact with locally before her stay at Upstate did not take her pain seriously. She was told that she was just in looking for pain meds and that she was over exaggerating the pain she was in. 

For those of you who don't know, Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. This causes inflammation in different parts of the body along with fatigue, joint pain, skin lesions, chest pains, headaches, memory loss, etc. The list goes on and on. On top of Billie-Rose's Lupus and Diabetes, she has been diagnosed with other diseases including Connective Tissue Disease, Addison's Disease, and Pain Syndrome/Arthritis to name a few. Unfortunately there is no cure for Lupus and no two cases are alike. For some flare ups are few and far between, but in Rosie's case she gets them regularly.  

Billie-Rose is a fun, loving, 21 year old young woman with the whole world in front of her except that with the hospital stays and the sickness there are days that Rosie can't get out of bed. She has not been able to work since this started over a year ago.  

A lot of what goes into Billie-Rose's treatment is pain management. With the hospital costs and doctor bills it's been hard to get some of the things that she needs. Her doctor recommends a medical alert bracelet, a bed that can support her better with a heat and massage function, a weighted blanket, etc. These things are not covered under her insurance. And on top of that, a lot of her prescribed medication is all self pay! With proper pain management she might be able to start working again but that is not possible right now for her.     

We are looking for donations to help Billie-Rose get back on her feet, to get these devices to help with her pain management, and get her back to feeling healthy again. She needs this so much. 

We are also having a fundraiser for Billie-Rose at The Polish Community Center in Utica on 11/11! Please save the date and show your support.