My name is Freedom and I am creating this for my amazing friend and soul sister, Diana Meade.

Who would have known when I answered an ad on Craigslist "looking for", lol, from a single mother asking for a babysitter with knowledge of autism, the first thing we bonded over was us both having autistic sons the same age but them being so very different, to watch her three young boys that I would be finding my soul sister.

Now, 13 years and 3 states later, I am watching this passionate, giving, and generous woman who has in the past worked third shift hours, has done 24 hour shifts taking care of special needs individualsand anything else to be available during the day for her sons and is now a HR Training and Development Specialist and teacher who instructs new DSPs on the information and safety training that is needed to work with these individuals in residential housing and day programs, live in pain every day, struggling just to get through her day but still selflessly gives to others every day of her life. When asking her about what the doctors have said and done for her, this is her story:

Chronic back pain started early 2020. The doc advised to try a number of out-of-office treatments which I did the following:

Chiropractic 2-3x weekly

Acupuncture

Stretch therapy

Spinal decompression

Cold/heat therapy

Massage therapy

Pain persisted and an MRI was ordered which showed lesions on the T5, T6, T7, T8, and T12. Doctors believed it was widespread bone metastasis. Spent summer of 2023 going between Davenport and Iowa City seeing cancer specialists and getting multiple tests done. After 3 months, they were comfortable to say that it is not cancer; however, doctors are not able to figure out what the lesions are or why they are there. More treatments were introduced which included but were not limited to:

Pain medication

Nerve blockers

Muscle relaxers

Epidurals

Trigger point injections

Repeat MRIs to watch for growth.

Treatments failed, and doctors have given up trying to find the underlying cause of the growing lesions and chronic back pain, so they are calling it fibromyalgia. Currently still on nerve blockers and pain medication to help with some of the pain.

I have spent over 20k in treatments, tests, medications, and doctor appointments.

Started seeking out alternatives and came across Ketamine Treatment. I had a consultation in November with the ketamine doctor and started the approval process. The approval process took two months. This requires that all medical records be sent to the clinic to ensure that my medical condition qualifies for the treatment and a thorough psychological exam to confirm that I am mentally prepared and healthy for the treatment. I have been approved; however, insurance doesn’t cover this kind of treatment. The cost for the initial treatment is 5k, this must be paid upfront prior to the treatment and boosters are 1k (it is undetermined how often I will need a booster).

What is it? Ketamine is a potent anesthetic that works by blocking NMDA receptors from firing, which decreases pain. This type of amplification of pain is believed to be due to activation of one of the nerve cell receptors, namely the NMDA receptor. Ketamine attaches to specific areas of the spinal cord and brain that are responsible for pain signals and emotion, leading to changes that may decrease pain and improve mood.

I would do anything for this woman to take away her pain so she could continue an active life, continuing to volunteer, be active in her teenage sons' lives, work with and for the well-being of special needs individuals, and have joy to live instead of starting and ending each day in pain.