Help Anneka with Medical & Living Costs During Health/Disability Crisis

Anneka is a 27-year-old living in Southern California with severe and disabling chronic illness, chronic fatigue, and chronic pain. After years of pushing to make ends meet, she is now almost entirely bedbound and housebound, unable to work, and in need of caregiving. She has no income, very little savings left, and is struggling to afford essentials like food, housing, necessary health supplies, and medical care.

Over the past several years, Anneka’s health has significantly and progressively declined due to very severe chronic illnesses with symptoms consistent with several conditions, including CFS/ME and dysautonomia. She experiences over 50 debilitating symptoms including crushing fatigue that doesn’t improve with rest, difficulty breathing, severe brain fog, heart palpitations and chest pains, painful digestive issues, heat intolerance, extreme noise and light sensitivity, muscle weakness and spasming, loss of cognitive or visual function, and extreme sleep disturbance.

These symptoms leave her unable to perform basic daily tasks without extreme exhaustion or physical pain. Simple actions such as walking up the stairs, washing hair, or simply standing up take a toll on her energy that can take days to recover from. On more difficult days, the fatigue leaves her hardly able to chew or speak. Eating has become a daily struggle.

The hours Anneka has been able to work have steadily declined for many years. In August, she finally became so weak that she has not been able to return to work since. Without income, she cannot cover basic needs. She is physically dependent, but doesn’t have family she can rely on for financial or caregiving support. This experience has been deeply isolating and discouraging, and has taken a heavy toll on her mental health. She is urgently looking for a new place to live, as her current living situation is unstable and is very dangerous to her health.

We are raising funds to cover essential living and medical needs for the next six months while Anneka pursues medical care and disability income – both long, difficult processes. Over the past decade, she has sought medical care many times but has been repeatedly dismissed, as conditions like ME/CFS and dysautonomia are still rarely recognized and can take years to be properly diagnosed. While there is currently no cure for these conditions, getting appropriate care would prevent further decline and restore some quality of life.

Funds will help with:

Even a small donation makes a huge difference. All funds will be used for living and necessary health-related expenses to bridge the gap until she can get stable medical care and longer-term disability benefits.

If you are local to Anneka in the La Mirada area and would like to offer practical much-needed help, please contact Jamie Sommerville (via the “Contact” button below), who is helping coordinate local support.

If you would like to purchase items for Anneka directly, you can find items to help manage her symptoms and reduce energy expenditure on the wish list linked here: Amazon Wishlist

Thank you so much for your support by reading, sharing this link, or donating — it means more to Anneka than words can express.