
Support the Mode family's fight against Lyme Disease
Donation protected
Cody, Learose, Beau, and Sun have Lyme disease. Everett, Scarlet, and Keiran show symptoms, but we can’t afford testing. Cody also had a traumatic brain injury in a truck accident. We homeschool the kids due to their illness.
When we have flare-ups, it’s chaotic. Beau sleepwalks, Keiran won’t sleep, and Scarlet wakes up crying due to being too hot. Everett and Sun toss and turn all night.
Mornings are rough. We start by rubbing the kids’ feet to ease Lyme pain. I carry the younger three downstairs and help the older two. They lie around doing light schoolwork or watching documentaries, often using heat packs. It’s heartbreaking seeing them so ill. Sun becomes irritable and emotional due to brain inflammation from Lyme.
Administering supplements and medications is time-consuming and expensive, costing over $3000 a month when we could afford it. Summers are especially hard for me. I need injections but resort to livestock injections from Tractor Supply for myself, not the kids. My body doesn’t absorb vitamins well.
It’s a vicious cycle: taking medications to kill Lyme, damaging our bodies, then using supplements to mitigate the damage. When we can’t afford medicine and supplements, the disease grows inside us, leading to new symptoms and learning to cope.
I didn’t want to do a GoFundMe or ask for help. I’ve tried to “man up” and work through this, but it’s unfair to my wife and kids. I’m disappointed in myself. People say I shouldn’t have had a big family if I couldn’t care for them. We didn’t know it would get this bad.
I’m sorry to ask for help from kind strangers, but I need it to care for my family and get healthier so I can work. I try hard to keep us afloat despite Lyme and a brain injury, but it’s not enough.
~ Cody Mode
Images Courtesy of Jiatong (Zoe) Lu
Organizer and beneficiary
Kim Cleworth
Organizer
Van Buren, ME
Cody Mode
Beneficiary