The Larson Family Fund

Most of you know Melissa as a sister, aunt, mother of three amazing boys, sorority sister and generous and loving friend. As many of you know, medical problems have caused her family a variety of financial problems over the years. Usually she has been able to find a way to power through. But that’s no longer the case.

Melissa and her family are at risk of losing their condominium in the next 60 days. Melissa wouldn’t ask for help on her own, so we’ve twisted her arm and set up this GoFundMe on her behalf.

Ideally we’ll raise enough to allow Melissa to refinance her condo. If we can’t raise that much we hope to be able to help her afford a new place, move and get her medical bills under control.  


Her Story...

Melissa Larson is a Mom from Portland, Oregon.  Several years back she was living a life she had always dreamed of for herself, a wife and mother to three young boys, close family ties, and a small business at local area farmer's markets. Melissa's life, however, took one of those sudden, terrifying turns that should be the stuff of only movies or novels, but unfortunately too often happens for real. Melissa got sick. She started with symptoms - fatigue, joint swelling and pain, sores on her body, GI problems - that made no sense to doctors. As they spent a year trying to figure it out, Melissa just got sicker and sicker. She spent weeks in hospitals. She had surgery. She had test after test. She spent months in bed with fevers. By the time doctors had given her a diagnosis of the very rare and incurable condition called Behcet's Disease, Melissa's marriage was over, her husband was gone, her business had to be closed and she had lost her house. Worst of all, as she tried to come to grips with living with this illness and raising her boys alone, her biggest source of support, her Mom Lois, died very suddenly after a bout of pneumonia.



Since then, Melissa has been living and supporting her family on small disability payments. Most of the money she got from her Mom went to medical bills. She got a little condo for herself and her boys but is now on the very near verge of losing that, too.



She is on Medicare but it doesn't cover even basic costs like prescription coverage. This illness has taken a serious toll on Melissa and her family financially. Melissa is a great Mom - she has raised her boys on her own and they are smart, thoughtful, and funny kids. Her only goal right now is to raise them to be good citizens and good people, and she does this even as doctors can only can treat her symptoms, and as she lives with being sick every day.



Right now she is struggling considerably to be able to make that happen. We are running this campaign in order to help her with that goal. Any amount you can give would be something Melissa will take to heart and spend her days feeling grateful for. She thanks you with love for your consideration.

HOW THE MONEY WILL BE USED 


All money raised will be used for Melissa's medical expenses and for housing for her family and herself.


SHARE


Please consider sharing this with your own friends and family, as Melissa is under a very short timeline between now and when she would lose her condo, we are trying to appeal to people for the holidays. You can send a message and tie it to giving under the holiday spirit. You can make it a part of her life at Aloha High School and send it to those who were involved in her life that way. The same goes for her life at Washington State University. Or as a Kappa Alpha Theta. Anyway you can think to send her story out to those people in your own lives who might be willing to help Melissa and her boys would be greatly appreciated. #HelpMelissaLarson


MORE ABOUT BEHCET'S DISEASE


Behcet's Disease is an autoimmune disease that is vascular in nature. That means the immune system ignores doing the functions it is supposed to do in a body - fight infection, heal - and instead goes and attacks healthy tissue. Because it is vascular, Behcet's can attack anywhere in the body to which veins are connected. For Melissa this has been her joints (especially her hips which have deteriorated considerably), her eyes, heart, intestinal tract, and her reproductive system. She is currently under treatment by Dr. Deodhar at OHSU in Portland. Melissa takes many medications to try and deal with symptoms, including two different immunological chemotherapy drugs which are high in out-of-pocket costs to her.