Help David Fight Stiff Person Syndrome: A Battle for Life, Mobility, and Hope

Hi, my name is David, and I never imagined I’d be writing something like this.

Until recently, I lived a relatively normal life. I was a father, a friend, a creative spirit, and someone who found peace in nature, music, and connecting with the people I love. But all of that began to change when I was diagnosed with a rare and devastating neurological disease: Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS).

Stiff Person Syndrome affects only 1 in a million people. It’s more than just a name—it’s a progressive and disabling autoimmune disorder that attacks the nervous system, causing severe muscle rigidity, spasms, balance problems, and unrelenting pain. Imagine your body locking up, your muscles turning to stone, and every step becoming a war between your brain and your muscles. Imagine losing the ability to walk, to care for yourself, to feel safe in your own body.

That’s been my reality.

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A Journey Filled with Pain, Uncertainty… and Fight

My journey has been anything but easy. It took countless hospital visits, misdiagnoses, and immense frustration before I finally got a name for what was happening to me. In the meantime, the disease progressed. My muscles began to spasm uncontrollably. My legs would give out beneath me. The pain became unbearable. There were days I couldn’t get out of bed. Nights I wondered if I’d ever walk again—if I’d ever be able to dance with my daughter, play with my son, or walk by the lake that once gave me peace.

I've endured multiple hospitalizations, intense rounds of IVIG therapy, powerful antibiotics, and a staggering list of medications—some of which help, many of which simply take the edge off. I’ve had to fight every day just to maintain a basic quality of life. But this disease isn’t just physical—it wears you down emotionally, mentally, and financially.

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Why I Need Your Help

Medical care for a condition like SPS is incredibly expensive. Between hospital stays, specialists, infusions, physical therapy, medications, transportation, and basic living expenses, my resources have been stretched far beyond what I can bear. Insurance doesn’t cover everything. And many of the treatments that help give me some relief aren’t fully covered—or come with long waiting periods that my body simply can’t afford.

Every dollar you give will go directly toward:

Ongoing IVIG infusions to stabilize my immune system

Mobility equipment to help me move safely

Specialist appointments and neurology consultations

Transportation to medical facilities

Medications and supplements that are often life-preserving

Basic living expenses while I continue to battle this condition

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This Isn’t Just About Me—It’s About the Life I Want to Live Again

I want to walk again without fear. I want to run after my kids in the yard. I want to return to the lake and meditate under the stars without worrying if I’ll be able to make it back to my car. I want to live—not just survive.

I’m not asking for a miracle. I’m asking for compassion.

If you can give, even just a little, please know you’re helping me hold on to hope. If you can’t give, sharing this page means more than you know. Every share, every prayer, every message of support gives me strength.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for seeing me. Thank you for being part of this fight.

With gratitude,

David Felts