Help Racquel Heal & Support Dan: Medical & Recovery Fund

Let's come together to support the amazing Chef Dan and his partner, Racquel, during a tough time. Any donations will go directly to them to help bring some relief and support. We really appreciate any support you can give—thank you for showing Chef Dan and Racquel some love!

Racquel's Story

2024 has been the year of surgery to aid in treating Racquel’s Stage IV + Cutaneous Endometriosis & MALS symptoms.

Endometriosis is a systemic & progressive inflammatory disease in which endometrial-like tissue grows outside of the uterus. It has been found on every organ of the body & in the skin (cutaneous). It is not a period disease; it affects those that have gone through menopause, those who have had hysterectomies & those who have yet to have a period alike. There is no cure.

Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS) is caused when either the median arcuate ligament descends lower on the celiac artery or the celiac artery is positioned higher on the aorta, causing the ligament to cross over & to compress the surrounding tissue & nerves. This syndrome is presumed to be cause by/related to Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). This makes breathing, talking, walking/moving, going to the bathroom, eating & drinking extremely painful, if not impossible.

Racquel went from an incredibly active & ambitious person who was working 100+ hours/week as the director of catering & running her own bakery business to someone who was limited to the couch due to severe pain, stuck on a starvation diet (<500 calories/day). Medical appointments became a 9-15x/month endeavor over the past few years, with travel expenses & copays piling up in order to reach each specialist she was sent to. Her pain had been spiking at a 10/10 almost the entire day for nearly 10 years with a 7/10 as the “comfortable” place. Limited self-employment became the only option, allowing for absolute flexibility in her schedule to accommodate for the pain & appointments.

After two Endometriosis excision surgeries, the first 2/28/24 with an in-network gynecologist in NYC (still $1,007.30 in copays) & 9/25/24 with an out-of-network/fully out-of-pocket expert Endometriosis surgeon in Atlanta, Georgia, Stage IV deep-infiltrating endometriosis has been excised from numerous locations: uterosacral ligaments, pelvic peritoneum, cervix (removed), uterus (removed), both fallopian tubes (removed), both ovaries (rupturing endometriomas), multiple colon locations, adhering the colon to itself in multiple spots, as well as adhering the colon to the belly button, hip & spine; substantial endometriosis adhesions were also found in her diaphragm & liver.

On 5/28/24, her new internist ran tests & confidently diagnosed her with MALS, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome & Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. The search for a MALS surgeon that was knowledgeable enough for this complicated case & experienced enough to not cause further damage meant numerous surgical consults at multiple facilities throughout NY with many nuclear tests repeated in order to confirm the diagnosis.

After 7 months of living on a few bites a day or just broth, Racquel had lost 36lbs & was rushed for MALS surgery on 12/3/24 in NYC. The surgeon released a near 100% celiac artery compression, along with compressions on the proximal left gastric artery, proximal splenic artery & proximal common hepatic artery + removed all of the celiac plexus nerves. With such compressions, the blood supply was near fully blocked from the esophagus, the stomach, the gallbladder, the duodenum, the pancreas, the spleen, the liver, the lungs, the intestines & the colon.

Immediately after MALS surgery, she’s been able to breathe & talk more comfortably; eating & drinking should come back slowly over the next 6 months to a year. The surgeon will continue to keep an eye on the ligaments for further compressions & for any other issues that may arise. In the meantime, she will need to keep a limited work schedule so that the healing may ensue successfully.

Your Donation's Impact

Your gracious donations will be put towards medical travel expenses, rehab expenses, doctor/surgeon fees, prescription copays & living expenses.