Trish Connelly's Multiple Sclerosis Expenses
Donation protected
Trish Connelly has been booking and promoting shows in Austin Texas via her record label imprint The Nothing Song for several years. Her contributions to the Austin music scene are countless and immeasurable. She has won the Austin Music Award for Best Live Booker the last two years in a row, and deservedly so. She is highly respected in the local music community, not only for her tireless work ethic and attention to detail, but also for the honesty, integrity, and genuine passion she brings to every project she's involved with.
This past November Trish suddenly began to feel an unpleasant numbness and tingling in the left side of her body. It was intense and persistent enough to scare her into an emergency room visit. A few weeks later, after several tests and MRI's, she received the life altering news that there were dozens of lesions on her brain, and that all signs pointed to her being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This diagnosis has since been confirmed by a number of neurologists and MS specialists.
To say the last few months have been a difficult period of adjustment for her would be a major understatement. However, in spite of having to come to terms with her diagnosis, in spite of having to suddenly stare down the barrel of a new future that now includes a lifelong battle with an unpredictable chronic illness, she has maintained a remarkably steadfast attitude of hope and strength. She has changed her lifestyle in nearly every area (diet, fitness, sleep, meditation/stress) except one: her work ethic. Even though the simplest tasks are now often exponentially more difficult than they were prior to her diagnosis, throughout the past few months Trish has continued to book shows and curate special events with the same level of care and frequency as before. Some weeks are better than others though, and there are times when she has to push herself just to get through the day. It has become clear that in order for her to maintain even her current quality of life and productivity, she must begin treatment soon.
On March 7th she met with a specialist who laid out a number of treatment options. Assuming her bloodwork clears her for eligibility, the specialist has recommended Tysabri, which is administered once a month via a two-hour intravenous infusion as the best potential treatment plan. The doctors have stressed that starting treatment sooner rather than later is key to preventing the disease from potentially causing further disability. In addition to this permanent medication and to her already accumulated medical expenses, there will be ongoing MRI's, bloodwork, potential periods of time she may need to cut back on work and visits to other specialists to aid in her various symptoms (urologists, nerve specialists, etc). Her current insurance will help with some but not all of these costs in which she has already accumulated over 2K in medical bills. We are asking for contributions to help Trish with these costs.
Those of you who know Trish or have worked with her know that she is one of the most kind hearted, generous, and compassionate people you could ever hope to meet. We believe, without question, that she is going to beat this. We just need your help to make sure that she is armed with the best healthcare she can get.
This past November Trish suddenly began to feel an unpleasant numbness and tingling in the left side of her body. It was intense and persistent enough to scare her into an emergency room visit. A few weeks later, after several tests and MRI's, she received the life altering news that there were dozens of lesions on her brain, and that all signs pointed to her being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This diagnosis has since been confirmed by a number of neurologists and MS specialists.
To say the last few months have been a difficult period of adjustment for her would be a major understatement. However, in spite of having to come to terms with her diagnosis, in spite of having to suddenly stare down the barrel of a new future that now includes a lifelong battle with an unpredictable chronic illness, she has maintained a remarkably steadfast attitude of hope and strength. She has changed her lifestyle in nearly every area (diet, fitness, sleep, meditation/stress) except one: her work ethic. Even though the simplest tasks are now often exponentially more difficult than they were prior to her diagnosis, throughout the past few months Trish has continued to book shows and curate special events with the same level of care and frequency as before. Some weeks are better than others though, and there are times when she has to push herself just to get through the day. It has become clear that in order for her to maintain even her current quality of life and productivity, she must begin treatment soon.
On March 7th she met with a specialist who laid out a number of treatment options. Assuming her bloodwork clears her for eligibility, the specialist has recommended Tysabri, which is administered once a month via a two-hour intravenous infusion as the best potential treatment plan. The doctors have stressed that starting treatment sooner rather than later is key to preventing the disease from potentially causing further disability. In addition to this permanent medication and to her already accumulated medical expenses, there will be ongoing MRI's, bloodwork, potential periods of time she may need to cut back on work and visits to other specialists to aid in her various symptoms (urologists, nerve specialists, etc). Her current insurance will help with some but not all of these costs in which she has already accumulated over 2K in medical bills. We are asking for contributions to help Trish with these costs.
Those of you who know Trish or have worked with her know that she is one of the most kind hearted, generous, and compassionate people you could ever hope to meet. We believe, without question, that she is going to beat this. We just need your help to make sure that she is armed with the best healthcare she can get.
Fundraising team (2)
Leo Ashline
Organizer
Austin, TX
Patricia Connelly
Beneficiary
Mike Manewitz
Team member
