Support Kiernan's Fight for Health and Hope

My name is Kiernan, I am 32 years old, and I have a 9-year-old daughter. I'm reaching out from a place of profound vulnerability and urgent need. For almost a year now, I've been living in a nightmare, battling life-threatening chronic illnesses that have been tragically exacerbated by six months of severe, dehumanizing medical negligence. I fought relentlessly, seeking help over 20 separate times during that agonizing period, only to be left to suffer as my body deteriorated. Now, I am at a critical juncture, fighting for my health and my future.

The Nightmare Begins: August 3rd, 2024 – A Life Stolen by Neglect

My nightmare truly began on August 3rd, 2024, when I went to urgent care for unretractable neck pain that had persisted for over 24 hours. They prescribed a 5-day course of prednisone, a medication I had never taken before. Miraculously, within those five days, not only did my neck pain subside, but other debilitating symptoms I had endured for years also dramatically improved. It felt like a miracle – until it wasn't.

Just a couple of days after completing the steroids, I started circling the drain, quickly. My body, which we would later discover wasn't producing its own cortisol, went into shock from the abrupt withdrawal of the synthetic cortisol. From August 3rd, 2024, to February 12th, 2025, I sought help over 20 times. By the time I finally received my diagnosis of Adrenal Insufficiency, the damage from those months of medical negligence was already done. Adrenal Insufficiency occurs when your adrenal glands, two small glands located on top of your kidneys, do not produce enough of certain vital hormones. The most critical of these is cortisol, often called the "stress hormone," but it's far more than that. Cortisol is absolutely essential for life, playing a crucial role in almost every bodily function: regulating your body's response to stress, maintaining blood pressure and cardiovascular function, reducing inflammation, metabolizing fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, and many other functions in the body. I was left to suffer for months without proper treatment, getting sicker and sicker. This wasn't just a delayed diagnosis; it was medical neglect, patient profiling, gaslighting, medical invalidation, and being reduced to a stigma. Each instance chipped away at my spirit, my trust, and my will to survive.

Imagine you're drowning. Not in water, but in your own body, which is failing you. You're gasping for air, feeling weaker by the minute, and you reach out, desperately, for a life preserver. Now, imagine doing that not once, not twice, but twenty-nine separate times over six agonizing months. Each time, the hand reaching out to help pulls away, leaving you to sink further.

This is what it felt like when I tried to get help for my Adrenal Insufficiency. I wasn't just "feeling unwell"; my body was in a critical, life-threatening state. Some days, my blood pressure would plummet to the 60s/40s, and I was still met with dismissive phrases like "it's just your anxiety" or "it's all in your head," as so many women are. For someone battling undiagnosed Adrenal Insufficiency, this wasn't just insensitive; it was life-threatening misinformation. It's similar to someone bleeding out profusely and being told they just need to calm down while their life force drains away.

It wasn't just physical pain; it was emotional torture. Each time they dismissed me, it didn't just "hurt my feelings"—it made my actual illness worse. My body, already struggling with untreated AI, was further depleted by the sheer stress of trying to survive and being rejected. The horrifying realization that the places you are supposed to go for help are actively turning you away. The very act of seeking help, which should have led to relief, instead became another layer of trauma, compounding my illness and deepening my despair.

At the end of February, I suffered a medical crisis that caused me to lose my ability to speak clearly; I woke up sounding like a stroke patient. It was terrifying, further contributing to my medical trauma and PTSD.

This medical nightmare bled into every aspect of my life, including my work. Fearing for my job, I tried to protect myself by requesting accommodations, which were unjustly denied. As I grew sicker, I eventually needed to take medical leave and utilize my short-term disability. For five agonizing weeks, I was off work, unpaid, because I was told I wasn't eligible for disability. It was only when I called the insurance company myself that I discovered I had been eligible the entire time. The sheer stress of denied accommodations and those five weeks of unpaid leave, while battling severe illness and constant financial worry, took an unbearable toll on my health, causing further irreparable damage.

The trauma continued to mount. At the beginning of May, on my way to pick up my daughter from school, I was driving on the highway in the left outermost lane when I went unconscious while driving due to a severe trauma response. I lost my ability to speak clearly for a second time. Because Adrenal Insufficiency is so rare, I did not receive proper treatment at the ER after the car accident; I should have immediately received IV steroids, but was discharged with no treatment for my condition, causing even more damage.

At the end of May, I was admitted to the hospital for seven days, where it was discovered I was severely iron-deficient anemic and also required a bone marrow biopsy and aspiration.

This experience, the continuous dismissal and neglect, became a trauma in itself, directly contributing to and compounding my C-PTSD. When you're sick and vulnerable, you depend on medical professionals. When they fail you, especially so catastrophically, it shatters something deep inside. It's like a wound that festers, leaving you with lasting scars. You learn that the world isn't as safe as you thought, that you can't always trust the people who are supposed to help. That lesson, learned through such intense suffering, reshapes your entire perception of safety, trust, and even your own body. I was denied the fundamental human right to receive appropriate medical care, leaving me powerless and at the mercy of a broken system. The fear, helplessness, and betrayal experienced during those six months are now woven into the fabric of my trauma response, making future interactions with the medical system, and indeed, many aspects of daily life, incredibly challenging. It was a dehumanizing and terrifying ordeal.

This catastrophic failure of care has had devastating domino effects in every area of my life—it pushed me to the precipice of both physical and emotional collapse. It's a stark reminder that empathy, trust, and validation are not just desirable traits in healthcare—they are essential components of healing, and their absence can inflict wounds that are as devastating as the illness itself.

My Urgent Plea: A Lifeline for Healing and Hope

I am beyond exhausted, terrified, and feel I have no fight left. Yet, I must fight for my future and my daughter, who is my world. I cannot heal when I am under this unbearable stress, especially due to the nature of my condition, unable to afford the most basic necessities for my health and survival. It's a cruel catch-22: to heal, I need financial resources, but to get financial resources, I need to be able to work, and to work, I need to heal. I cannot afford my specialist appointments, the treatments I desperately need, or even the cab fare to get there.

I did apply for SSI and SSDI back in February/March, but the process takes on average 6 months, and I have been unable to work since March 21st. We do not know how long I will be unable to work. I am relearning how to live life with this life-threatening, life-changing disease. There is still an undiagnosed condition wreaking havoc on my body, complicating my Adrenal Insufficiency, requiring even more specialists, which also require resources. It is terrifying to be in this situation, so stripped of resources and the ability to generate them. Every day is a battle, and I am still very ill. This week, due to severe heat intolerance related to my adrenal insufficiency, going outside for even a couple minutes has been enough to necessitate emergency steroid dosing and require doctor visits. The state assistance I receive is a mere $192 – a fraction of what's needed for even one doctor's visit, let alone any other living expenses.

I am a fighter; I have had the rug ripped out from under me more times than I can count. I have climbed out of the darkest holes. I want to be working. The job I was working until March was my DREAM JOB. I have worked so hard to get where I am in life. I have beaten all the stigmas and statistics. I am hyper-independent, and asking for help is incredibly hard, but sometimes there is nothing left to do but ask.

This GoFundMe is my last resort, a desperate plea for a lifeline. It is not about luxury; it is about survival, healing, and securing my family's future. I have fought so hard, but I am so so exhausted, and now I truly need a chance to heal.

Any amounts secured will provide:

Essential Medical Care: Funds for life-saving specialist appointments, vital treatments, and necessary medications/supplements for my Adrenal Insufficiency and other my other diagnoses.

Safe Transportation: Covering the cost of reliable transportation to my critical medical appointments

Basic Living Expenses: Bridging the devastating gap for living expenses and other absolute necessities for myself and my daughter for the next 3-6 months, allowing me to focus on healing instead of constant financial terror.

Past Medical Expenses: Covering the burden of medical expenses already incurred due to this crisis

A Chance to Breathe & Rebuild: This support will lift the crushing weight of financial stress, allowing my body to finally begin the healing process it so desperately needs after months of neglect and trauma.

I am fiercely determined to get back on my feet. I have been relentlessly fighting non-stop, but it is clear that I am never going to heal or have a chance unless there is a bridge to get through this immediate, life-threatening crisis.

Every single donation, no matter how small, is a profound act of kindness and a direct investment in my healing and our future. If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing my story with your network. Your support, in any form, means the world.

Thank you for seeing me, for hearing my truth, and for being a part of my journey back to health, hope, and justice.

With deepest gratitude,

Kiernan Rice