Stand with Precious Jones in her fight.

Asking for help is not something that comes to me easily and I never thought I'd be in this situation but here I am. My name is Precious Jones and I have suffered with Hidradenitis Suppurativa for 24 years. Anyone that knows me can tell you I'm a very private person. I'm so private about it that my friends and family have just been thinking I've been antisocial for years when the truth is, I've been in pain pretty much everyday. HS involves lumps that usually develop in areas where your skin rubs together, such as the armpits, groin, buttocks and breasts. The lumps heal slowly, recur, sometimes leave a horrible odor, and can lead to tunnels under the skin and scarring. I describe the pain as the worst boil or ingrown hair that you've ever experienced in your life, it draining, and then coming back worst each time. And if you're wondering, I've tried ALL the medications on the market and even changed my diet but surgery is the only thing that's truly helped me reach some type of quality of life.

I started having the first of my surgeries around 2011 and as of May 2024 I am on my 10th surgery. I have been admitted to the hospital 2 hours away from my family and friends since May 7th. In just two weeks, I needed to have 4 surgeries where I had to be put under general anesthesia because the pain was too severe to be awake. My recent surgeries are from under my stomach going down my right leg and I needed general anesthesia just to handle the stitches and staples removed.

I've been disabled for over 6 years due to this condition. My late husband passed away last year on January 29th. I decided to be responsible and use some of the money he left me to help with my quality of life by getting a wheelchair ramp installed at my home and unfortunately the person I hired to do it, did a horrible job. I also paid for other things to get done and because he did such a horrible job before, I decided to stop any other work to get done and asked for my money back which was $700. I'm actually owed more because he ruined my doors inside my home, the vinyl siding on my house, and I paid for supplies that was ruined because he irresponsibly left them in the back of his truck and then it rained. That was the first week of February and after 3 months, I still have not had any of my money returned - not even $20. I can admit I was wrong there by not doing my research and checking references and I unfortunately hired someone that knew they couldn't do the job but took advantage of someone that was on a fixed income and desperate.

A normal ER visit can be $1,000 for one day and by the time that I leave, I will have been at the hospital for at least 3 weeks. I do have insurance but because of the severity of my condition (I'm stage 3), I still have 3-5 more surgeries to have before I can think about getting back into the workforce. That involves more hospital stays, weeks to months of home health care, plus I have been quoted that a new safe wheelchair ramp is $3,000-$5,000.

Please remember that even $1 makes a difference but prayers are always free.