Support Elanor and Nathan With Her Medical Treatment

Hi friends and family,

Our dear friend, Elanor Watts, has been experiencing a rollercoaster of chronic pain and debilitating health issues this past year. After 9.5 months of uncertainty, Elanor finally received a root-cause diagnosis – Lyme disease – which has wreaked havoc on her body and attacked her central nervous system. The good news is that Lyme disease is treatable, but there are many unknowns at this time. In preparation for Elanor’s upcoming treatment and associated expenses, your support to help Elanor and Nathan get through this chapter would be greatly appreciated.

About Elanor’s health journey: In May of last year, Elanor started experiencing severe neck pain, back spasms and migraines. She received spinal injections in Juneau and Anchorage to control her symptoms. In September, Elanor underwent emergency brain surgery in Seattle to treat a level 3 dural AV fistula to reroute the blood flow between her brain and spinal cord. Most recently, doctors in Arizona have discovered that Lyme disease has caused 5 different types of infections in her immune system.

What Elanor’s life will look like for the next few months: Elanor’s treatment will likely involve an infusion regimen for 6+ weeks given the severity of the Lyme disease, steroid treatments for pain, and injections in the neck and head area for the complex migraines. These treatments will take place at ENVITA Medicine as well as the Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

How your donation will help: Elanor and Nathan live in Juneau, Alaska, but due to the complexity of Elanor’s health issues, they have been traveling down south to access specialty care and treatment not available in Alaska, and some treatments have not been covered by their health insurance. Additionally, Elanor had to leave her job and Nathan has taken an extended absence from work to be her caretaker. Donations will cover the cost of treatment(s) and /or necessary travel expenses for both Elanor and Nathan.

Ask: Any support or contribution towards Elanor’s medical expenses would help. Every bit counts and would mean the world to them. If inclined, please share across your network. Thank you for your time and kindness!

You can also donate directly to Nathan and Elanor on Venmo: @nathan-schroeder-13

Love, Nathan, Pauline, Jill, Annika, and Alice