Support Keri’s Battle For Her Best Health

Keri’s story in her own words:

As a Kidney Cancer survivor, I am grateful for the ability to live a simple life! I am a newlywed with a husband I adore. I have two amazing kiddos, two fantastic dogs and a rescued kitty who worships me. I have a cozy house that my son calls home with trees that are dear friends to me in the backyard. There is only one thing missing…

Me.

That is where your assistance comes in. I need the support of my village to make the next step in my health journey possible. I have a wonderful life and I simply want to live it! I want to be present for my everyday life and get back to a state of health that allows me to help others.

Your support will allow me to get the testing, semi-monthly practician appointments, medicine, supplements, and teeth repair on this two year journey.

In the recent past, I had profound kidney stones that resulted in Sepsis to the point where the surgeon from the ER called the hospital every few hours on his day off to see if I was still alive. I was then diagnosed with Celiac disease and underwent drastic diet changes.

Soon after, I underwent an 8 hour Double Jaw Arthroplasty to treat chronic TMJ issues and pain since childhood. I couldn’t eat or speak for 3 - 6 months and rejoiced at my jaw opening 1 millimeter at a time as I struggled through the year long recovery process. Function was restored completely, though pain from severe arthritis continues.

During the tail end of my jaw recovery, I sought out a cardiologist for multiple instances of syncope. As a result of that testing, I was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma. I read the diagnosis alone in my car in the hospital parking lot. My kidney was grotesquely bulged from being filled with cancer cells. The tumor had created multiple blood supplies to itself and started to move to the adrenal gland. If the cancer had spread, my surgeon told me I would not live past 40.

I was incredibly lucky that the cancer was encapsulated and the surgeon was able to remove it by removing my right kidney and adrenal gland . However, I was unknowingly exposed to toxic mold contamination during my recovery which made it particularly difficult, incomplete and lengthy. The worst my surgeon had ever seen in his decades of performing nephrectomies.

Currently, my health is greatly compromised from the repeated trauma it has undergone and has increasingly gone downhill since my nephrectomy. I struggle with increased asthma symptoms, severe GI issues like distention and malabsorption, increased allergy symptoms resulting in repeated bouts of anaphylaxis and food intolerances beyond control. Fatigue and weakness has increased to the point that I have to nap almost every day, can only tolerate a few foods, and have lost upwards of 60 lbs without trying. As a result of vomiting so much, I have lost 2 teeth and have 4 broken ones that need over 2k of work.

I have had a ton of diagnosis’ ranging from Chronic Vomiting Syndrome to IBS to SIBO to a Functional Bowel Impairment. However, mainstream medical practitioners have literally thrown their hands up in the air and only tell me that I need more medications. I even require a monthly shot (that costs over 3k) because I have become so sensitive to toxins that I have chronic hives and regularly go into a mode of toxic shock without intervention.

My home was professionally cleaned and remediated from the mold. I installed draintiles and a sump pump. I adhered to numerous medical diets (and still need to). I even had to step away from two “dream jobs” because I could not function well enough during flares and the stress greatly exacerbated my symptoms.

I have not been able to work in over a year and need to sleep most days in order to make it to a bedtime of 8pm or earlier! My social life is nonexistent because I can never predict how I will feel. I often miss important family events and even spend most of my precious family time ill or asleep. I am weary and miss the person I used to be.

After networking with a family friend, reading every book out there, and being educated by a registered nurse, I realized that I will NEVER get well through the mainstream medical system. I am on dozens of meds and supplements to address both symptoms and side effects and they want to add more. My kidney (Love you Lefty!) and liver health are showing signs of damage and my mental health has suffered greatly. I HAVE to try something new!

Functional medicine is a holistic medical practice that has research based testing and interventions not billable by the mainstream insurance companies. Functional medicine looks at the whole body and every system within it. They are particularly skilled with dealing with gut-brain axis disorders, MOLD exposure and chronic lack of energy. Finally there is hope of regaining my health and ending this zombie-like life that I am currently living!

The only barrier now is finances. Functional medicine providers and their assessments are not recognized by insurance companies. An initial assessment with a functional provider cost me $500 and follow up is $300 an hour. She was able to diagnose a Small Intestine Bacterial Infection and a raging Candida (Fungus) infection. Bare minimum testing will cost about another 1k to understand the damage that has been done and to what systems. The practitioner predicts that I will need treatment for about two years to deal with my complex situation of repeated surgical trauma, black mold exposure, cancer, and multiple autoimmune conditions.