Support Angie in fight against debilitating eye condition

Story

UPDATE 7.14.25: Hello everyone- we can't thank you enough for your donations thus far. Truly this has been all Mom has lived off for the last four months. As of today we've been waiting 8 months to hear back from Disability services for Mom. She saw a doctor for approval two weeks ago who encouraged us that he would advocate for her, but that the process could take over a year. Her Duke specialists now believe she will need both a stem cell transplant and a cornea transplant in each eye. Finding donors for each of these is a process that could take years and will cost around $15,000. Since she has been unable to work her nursing job for 6 months now, she has been removed from their health plan and forced to back pay all expenses from this year. These expenses on top of weekly doctor visits, monthly Duke Opthmalmologist visits, medications, and daily food/gas expenses are adding up rapidly while we wait for disability to give us a decision. If you are able to donate, we always so deeply appreciate it. We are endlessly thankful for our community and all you continue to do to support Mom - thank you UPDATE 1.8.25: Hello everyone, thank you so much for your support. Mom’s eyes have been doing a bit better in terms of pain and redness, but within the last week she has gone through spells of hardly being able to see at all. She was rushed to Duke but doctors do not have an explanation. They did tell us she has severe fibrosis inside her eyelids and that her stem cells are still not working to repair the cornea. This means she will either need a stem call transplant or a long term medical contact, each of which are around $3,000. We have updated our goal to reflect those changes, and cannot thank you all enough for your continued support. We are so thankful for you ❤️ ANGIE'S STORY: Hi everyone ❤️ Early last fall our mom, Angie, started having severe dry eye symptoms. She sought medical care and every time was dismissed with a new random eye drop prescription. A month later she would find out she was allergic to the preservatives found in all of those drops, which all had the opposite effect and instead made her condition more and more severe. She was told she needed a membrane installed, which insurance refused to cover. $2,500 later, the membrane itself hardly did anything. Now, the protective layer of both of her eyes is gone and she is getting incredibly painful abrasions on her cornea nearly every other day. Her insurance refuses to cover 90% of these absolutely critical expenses, and seeing as she can hardly keep her eyes open, she has been unable to work or even leave the house. Doctors are still trying to figure out why her stem cells are not repairing the eyes as they should, and no one seems to have an answer. In the midst of this very scary and uncertain time, both medical and day to day expenses pile up and only further contribute to the anxiety. If you feel so kind and have the means, any donations are incredibly appreciated and will go a long way in easing stress of one of the only things within our control right now. If you read this far, thank you so much for your time. If you’re unable to donate, prayer or sharing this fundraiser is also a huge help. Thank you thank you thank you ❤️ Taylor & Tori