Help Marcia recover.

Hi everyone,

From the bottom of my heart, I hope this fundraising request finds you well.

It's taking me a lot to get to this point and I will cut right to it.

Since February, I have been dealing with debilitating health challenges, likely stemming from long covid, and I’ve reached the point where I am asking my community to support me. Through a ton of research and countless doctor’s appointments, I am finally stabilizing, but I need to see specialists, awaiting a diagnosis, and I’ve already tapped my savings. If you are able, I would greatly appreciate any support you can offer to support me with medical care and living expenses.

Please read on for a longer version of my story….

For the past 5 months, since Feb 18, I've been dealing with debilitating health challenges.

They came on rather suddenly but probably have roots in long-standing health issues.

They started with an unexplained vitreous detachment of the eye and progressed to a syndrome of symptoms that fall under MCAS (mast cell activation syndrome) and dysautonomia that is the result of an autoimmune dysfunction possibly triggered by Covid.

It's a lot to say and a lot to admit.

This is not my first time dealing with an autoimmune disorder.

In the fall of 2020, I was finally diagnosed with Grave's disease, an auto-immune form of hyperthyroidism, after years of being misdiagnosed by doctors. I was able to reverse it in 3 months.

In 2013 I had been diagnosed with a corneal degenerative disease that would cause blindness if I did not have it treated, with current research I know now it is tied to autoimmune disorders specifically thyroid issues along with asthma.

With the help of credit cards, I was able to undergo the $7000 procedure to treat it and move on with my life.

I had a bout with Lyme disease in 2011 after a wilderness survival retreat in New Jersey, which was awful, and which I successfully treated with alternative methods.

I have dealt with asthma since I was 4 years old, which included childhood hospitalizations and was the stepping stone for me to have a career in holistic medicine. In 2019 I was invited to speak at a wellness gathering for Latina professionals and I acquired a respiratory virus that circulated amongst the participants. I subsequently had to go to the ER and when I was there I was told that my asthma had progressed to COPD. There isn’t a consensus right now amongst my doctors as to whether or not my asthma has progressed to COPD, some say yes most no, but it’s something that I am watching and being mindful of.

Along with all of this, I have a family history of autoimmune disease.

Through all many health challenges, I have pushed through and managed to sustain an 18-year healing practice that has been dedicated to helping people recover from pain and illnesses and has helped women conceive after unexplained infertility, and recover from reproductive dysfunction and trauma which I have been very proud of.

My health challenges though have made me a perfect candidate to develop debilitating aspects of long Covid, which I have not been able to push through.

I caught Covid in April 2022 and things were off for a while but manageable, then in Feb of this year I developed new symptoms that have left me weeks at times bed-bound and for the most part housebound.

I tried to put up a good fight, believing in myself that I would be better in a couple of days because I've always gotten better and could handle my health challenges head-on.

But navigating these health challenges has left me stumped, frightened, defeated, and demoralized, yet still relentless in figuring my way out.

The more I researched to attempt to figure out what was going on with me the more I discovered that these types of health complications are not rare and that they can happen often, to many people after viral infections, injuries, trauma, medical procedures, and even because of pre-menopause.

Again I keep getting the gold star for being a perfect candidate.

It has been a whirlwind of dr visits, er visits, 911 calls, hospital stays and a whole lot of diagnostics.

Thankfully I have had providers who have been willing to listen to me, work with me, have opened up about their own family members' challenges with long Covid, and have tried to help me navigate the limitations of my insurance.

And thankfully I have had the support of good friends and my family which I am forever grateful to.

I had to cut back on seeing clients as one of the 911 calls happened while I was in a session until I ultimately had to pause my practice on the first of June.

I went through my savings over these 5 months and ultimately had to give up my apartment to live with family.

Because I had to file for bankruptcy mid-pandemic when I lost my healing center I no longer have access to credit.

And because a diagnosis is still pending I am not yet able to access disability insurance.

I am now in the waiting game of seeing specialists as the last round of testing came back positive for autoimmune markers.

One specialist I won't be able to see until late August and I'm still pending insurance accepts the referral request from my primary doctor for the 2 other specialists I need to see.

They will. Though it will be a long wait.

I know many of us face challenging times without making them public.

It has taken a lot for me to share all of this but quite honestly I need help and I have to double down on my belief that community is also medicine.

People close to me, including family members, are also dealing with their health challenges and though my loved ones would give me everything they could, they are not yet able to support me financially.

Through my research and because of the diagnostic results, I have been able to piece together a protocol that has kept my symptoms stable although I am not yet back to my old self and still not able to return to my holistic practice.

I am asking for help now to help me see providers outside of my insurance and to sustain me and get support to turn my practice into an online practice.

Brain fog and a bit of cognitive impairment have been part of this health journey but I am in a much better place now than I was last month.

I do feel that my old strength is just below the surface and I can almost access it but there are complexities here that I need help with.

This has been incredibly humbling.

They’re so many people that live with chronic health conditions and disabilities.

And not many people are understanding or compassionate about that truth.

In the wellness circles I run in there are many theories when people encounter health disorders and I’ll be honest I haven’t wanted to share about my health challenges because I already had to field other people’s beliefs and projections.

I didn’t have it in me to protect myself that way.

But I have to trust and believe that there are people that love and care for me and would be willing to help financially if they could.

Any little bit would help.

Right now I am still mostly housebound, but I am safe and loved.

I know that with your support, I’ll be able to come to the other side and help people in a new way.

If you can support me in any way I so humbly appreciate it.

From the bottom of my heart - thank you, thank you, thank you.

Yours truly,

Marcia