Join My Village to HELP Me Battle CHRONIC ILLNESS

Hi everyone! As most of you know my name is Claudia, I’m 26 and currently in the middle of a really tough battle with chronic illness after having a severe case of Covid-19 in March of 2020.

For those of you who don't know, my family and I got Covid during the first week of lockdown. Things got pretty scary really quickly, and although I know a lot of people have recovered from the virus well, unfortunately that hasn’t been my reality and two years later I am still fighting. Severe pain, constant nausea, elevated heart rate, swings in blood sugar, migraines and chronic fatigue are just some of the debilitating symptoms I deal with on a daily basis. All of which make even the most basic daily functions (eating, walking, showering, etc.) extremely difficult, if not impossible to do without assistance from my family. In the middle of my battle with long-Covid I’ve also been diagnosed with other chronic conditions like Post-viral Gastroparesis, POTS, MCAS, Lyme Disease & co-infections, and mold toxins. It is 100% valid to say that battling a chronic illness is a full time job with no days off and no pay.

The past two years have been a long and difficult journey, as I’ve learned to navigate my new world with chronic illness. When I got sick I didn’t only lose my ability to function as a healthy young adult, but I also lost many of the dreams and goals I had made for my future. I had to completely change my path and it would be a lie if I said I don’t struggle with watching others my age live the lives I always pictured for myself - graduations, degrees, jobs, families, travels. But in the same exact breath I am without a doubt so proud of them and love cheering them on as they chase all their dreams. Because life is so short… trust me, the loss of my heath taught me that real quick.

It is traumatic to lose your health at any age, in any capacity and to any illness. It’s physically, emotionally and mentally exhausting, for the person who is ill and their entire family. Add the burden of financially not being able to afford essential treatments and it’s a crisis that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

Without a doubt the hardest part of my health journey has been watching my immediate family struggle as much as they have. None of us had a choice in my illness, however they’ve chosen to fight with me and along the way that’s required them to sacrifice, do and work so much more then should’ve ever been expected of them. There is a strength I’ve seen in them that can only come from loving someone as much as they love me… but unfortunately love alone can not pay medical bills. If it could, I wouldn’t be asking for the help of my family friends, friends and strangers.

I’ve always struggled asking for help, but I’ve reached a point recently where I realized that there is a strength in saying “I need help” and then reaching out to ask for it, because not being ok at times doesn’t make me any less resilient in the face of my illness.

My ongoing medical needs have unfortunately placed a huge financial burden on my loved ones as we were already struggling before I got sick. We have exhausted all other options, from cashing out RRSPs, to my family members working 8 days straight and 50+ hour weeks (some while also doing full time school). Nearly every month for the past two years we’ve struggled to cover the cost of rent, food or other essentials, as my ongoing medical expenses continuously add up to so much.

Sadly battling chronic illness is extremely time consuming and ridiculously expensive. It takes a village - a really big village of a lot of beautiful and kind people. From understanding family, supportive friends, the right health care team, and strangers who are willing to lend a hand. Every person walking this journey with me is essential and I am beyond grateful for each of them - the ones I knew before and the ones I’ve met along the way. The community aspect of battling an illness is so vital to healing and I truly believe that “If we turn ‘I’ into ‘we’, even illness becomes wellness.”

I’m so thankful for how far I’ve come since I first got sick, but in order to continue working towards recovery I’ll need some assistance in covering my ongoing medical expenses. These include, but are not limited to, IV therapies, physiotherapy, acupuncture, medications, supplements and much more. My hope is that a community of people are willing to come together to help me fight this battle, so that one day maybe I can get back to chasing all those plans I had made before I got sick.

If you’re financially able to help my family and I during this challenging time, your support would mean more then I could ever put into words. If this is not something you can do right now, I fully understand, but maybe you can send this to someone who is able to help. I am also asking for your continued prayers and all the healing energy you can send my way.

In what ever capacity you can offer support, please know that my family’s gratitude is unmeasurable and we promise to pay the kindness forward whenever and however we can in the years to come.

Thank you really isn’t a big enough word - but because it’s the only one I can find right now - THANK YOU for being apart of my village!!!