"Aid Hunter in their Quest Against the Torment of Lyme

Help Hunter Overcome Lyme Disease, Mold Toxicity, and Medical Debt

*In my best Obi-Wan impression* Hello there, I’m Hunter, and I’m here to ask for your help as I navigate a long and difficult health journey. Over the past year (though I could argue much longer), I’ve been fighting Lyme disease, which has brought a host of debilitating symptoms like fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches, insomnia, brain fog, and a fiery nerve pain I don't wish upon my thankfully absent enemies. But it doesn’t stop there. I’m also dealing with two different mold toxicities, POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), and the potential looming diagnosis of Hashimoto’s disease. All of these issues have compounded my daily struggles, making it hard to manage basic tasks and live the life I once had. If you knew me in the before times, you'd know I love to be active, play music, and was just finishing massage therapy school. That's all on pause now. The emotional toll of losing access to core pieces of yourself is quite hard to put into words.

The road to recovery has been incredibly challenging, both physically and financially, and we're only 3 months in since my official diagnosis and treatment began. Lest we forget the arduous journey of discovery which took place before that day. I've had to go on short-term disability from work (if you aren't in the know, that means a reduction in wages, so I have about 60% of my regular income). Between that and the doctor visits, specialized treatments, lab tests, and a whole range of medications and therapies, my medical bills have grown exponentially on top of what was already an unmanageable amount of expenses incurred from the Sherlock Holmes medical mystery. Most of the treatments I need aren’t covered by insurance, and the financial burden of trying to heal has added even more stress to an already overwhelming situation.

I’m asking for help to ease the financial strain of these medical expenses so I can focus on getting better instead of searching for "side hustles you can do from bed while on disability". Your support, whether through a donation or by sharing this campaign, would mean so much to me. It's taken me a long time to feel comfortable in this kind of vulnerability. A silver lining, if you can imagine it in all this, I've learned how loved and cared for I am.

Thank you for taking the time to listen.

With deep gratitude,

Hunter

I’ve included an abridged and rounded breakdown of medical expenses below to show how your contribution will directly impact my treatment and recovery:

2024 Medical Expenses from the 44 various appointments with doctors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, labs, and medications

$2700

2025 Medical Expenses so far (3 months worth)

$1700

Predicted Medical Expenses for remaining 6 months of initial treatment plan

$3400

I'll save you the trouble of math, that's $7,800 all told and I'm not sure yet if that's the end of the story. Once August comes and goes with this initial treatment plan, there might be more to follow.

Back of the napkin math says that if all ~1,000 social media connections donated $8 there would be no trouble reaching that goal. Of course we know that number isn't an accurate count, but who doesn't like neat little math problems?