Hello, Thank you for taking the time to visit! 

I am navigating severe health issues and housing insecurity and in desperate need of help with basic living expenses such as buying food, drinking water, toilet paper, paying for electricity, phone, internet, etc. as well as paying minimal rent for a safe place to park the donated travel trailer I am living in, black tank pumping fees and winter trailer maintenance, in addition to help with medical expenses. 

The most challenging thing is being out of the bare minimum of nutritional supplements necessary to maintain my healing process, and not have my health worsen again, and to help to support my body to have enough energy to at least prepare food for myself and continue asking for help. Support for iron regulation and improving “catastrophically low iron levels”, improving oxygenation to my cells and my organs, supporting the improvement of dangerously low cortisol, pain management, reducing systemic inflammation, supporting nutritional deficiencies due to gut dysbiosis and healing digestion to improve function of all of the above in an effort to avoid further progression of Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. 

After the stress and physicality of the illegal eviction I experienced in September 2021 my health began to go downhill again, dramatically and very rapidly. I am now 95% bedridden. I am living in a small travel trailer by the kind generosity of friends, acquaintances and strangers. Most days, when I am upright the symptoms I experience are so severe and terrifying that calling an ambulance would not be unfounded.

I am, very literally, asking for your help to save my life.

I am experiencing an incredibly low quality of life with daily, extreme fatigue to the point where I can only be upright for about 10 to 15 minutes at a time, often only able to stand for 5 minute increments, for a maximum total of less than an hour each day. I have not been able to bathe in 10+ months as it is not physically safe for me to do so in my current living situation with the severe fatigue, muscle weakness and dizziness I am experiencing. Most days I do not have the energy to hold my arm up long enough to brush my teeth or stand long enough to prepare food. This means laying flat 23+ hours a day, every day. I have not driven nor left the property where I live since May 31st of 2023. As you might imagine, this is all very isolating and demoralizing. 

Daily, debilitating symptoms include: Dizziness, heart palpitations, blood pressure fluctuations from very low to high, muscle weakness, muscle burning, nausea, near fainting, visual disturbances, cognitive issues, impaired executive function skills, memory loss, difficulty word finding, inability to effectively regulate body temperature and so much more. Many days I quite literally feel as though I’m dying - not anxiety, not fear, just a calm feeling and a sense of life leaving my body.

NEW DIAGNOSES: have learned, with the help of an excellent functional/integrative medicine doctor and through specialized testing, that my body is producing dangerously low amounts of cortisol. In the 7 phase model of adrenal insufficiency/fatigue/failure, where adrenal failure (life threatening) is the 7th stage, I am currently at the 6th stage with my body making such a low amount of cortisol that it is struggling to sustain life. More on this below. I am also experiencing very high estrogen levels that are linked with certain types of cancers and reducing estrogen is crucial. 

As well, I have received diagnoses of gut dysbiosis and small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which makes it very difficult to assimilate nutrients, plus diagnoses of “catastrophically low iron levels”, heavy toxic burden, mitochondria dysfunction and genetic SNPs that predispose me to Alzheimer’s disease as well as predisposition to difficultly processing and assimilating B vitamins, vitamin D, etc. These diagnoses are in addition to the long list of previous diagnoses including Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, CFS, MCAS, MCS, POTS and more. More on that below.

I am so incredibly grateful for this new knowledge about the medical issues that have quite literally destroyed my life for so many years. I am very optimistic that there are solutions to restore my body to a more functional state, yet I am also terrified of having to continue to live with this horrific quality of life and further degrade into a completely helpless human simply because I can’t afford the recommended treatments that are not covered by health insurance.

It has been a full decade of relying on mainstream doctors and specialists (covered by insurance) and having them completely overlook, dismiss, refuse basic testing and worse, fully gaslight me while my body has continued to deteriorate unnecessarily. At this point it is absolutely crucial for me to work with an extremely well educated and thorough functional/integrative medical doctor who is incredibly skilled at reversing these medical conditions. This will also involve more in-depth, comprehensive testing for nutrient deficiencies, neurotransmitter issues, food sensitivities, toxin load and comprehensive, specialized testing to rule out Lyme disease. As well, I will need periodic re-testing of hormone levels, gut health and food sensitivities to monitor progress. Unfortunately, the skilled functional/integrative doctor and the testing to adequately assess and treat root causes are not covered by insurance of any kind. This is why I am asking for your help.

In addition to help with medical expenses I am in desperate need of financial help to maintain a safe place to park my travel trailer, that I am now living in after being forced out of my safe rental home of five and a half years. As well as help to pay for nutritious food, insurance, electricity, phone, internet and basic living expenses.

I understand that this is a lot of information to read and many people may have questions having read this far. I appreciate you taking the time, care and attention and all of your love, support and prayers. For those who are interested to know more I have included a breakdown of costs, outlined the testing and treatments that are needed at this time and also included more information about the function of cortisol, more about my medical journey and more about me as a person in my formerly vibrant, productive life, my career as an agent for advertising photographers and producer, energetic equestrian and so much more.

Please consider donating and/or sharing my fundraiser. If it is appropriate, please do share this fundraiser with your friends, family, colleagues and to your social media networks.

I have so much gratitude for all of the help and support I have received throughout this journey and I am so incredibly thankful for the kindness from friends, acquaintances and strangers that has afforded me this travel trailer to have a safe place to sleep and continue to heal rather than being homeless at this challenging time. Blessings to you and yours for health, peace, love and joy this holiday season.

NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT AND TREATMENTS = $3,328.45 PER MONTH

Iron Deficiency = $525.71 per month.

Immediate and consistent need for iron supplements and cofactors.

SIBO Treatment and Detox = $537.48 per month.

Immediate need for a minimum of 2 months of a specialized supplement protocol to kill off specific strains of bacterial overgrowth in my digestive tract as well as support for bacterial die off. Followed by a minimum of 2 months of Environmental Toxin Detox Support Protocol.

Adrenal Support and Hormone Imbalances = $886.69 per month.

Immediate and consistent need for bio-identical hormones and supplements to boost cortisol production, reduce estrogen, support detoxification of estrogen and related toxins.

Mitochondria, ATP and Energy Support = $303.90 per month.

This is crucial to my current state of function.

Ongoing Digestion Support = $420.66 per month.

Nutritional Support = $654.09 per month.

The current, necessary supplements that I am already on for known nutrient deficiencies, brain health, neurological support, inflammation reduction, pain management, optimal sleep support, immune support, electrolytes, etc.

TESTING AND MEDICAL CONSULTATIONS TOTAL = $6,528.50

Complete Food Sensitivities testing, including IgG and IgA sensitivity to 209 commonly consumed food antigens and report of findings consultation = $733.50

Lectin Zoomer (detects both IgA and IgG to lectins and aquaporins in the most comprehensive panel available) and report of findings consultation = $593.50

Mycotoxin testing and report of findings consultation = $693.50

Comprehensive Neurotransmitter Profile testing and report of findings consultation = $622.50

GI Effects or GI Map Comprehensive Stool Profile re-test and report of findings consultation = $713.50

NutrEval (A Comprehensive Test for Identifying Nutritional Deficiencies) and report of findings consultation = $723.50

DUTCH Complete Hormone Re-Test to assess progress with adrenal function improvement and report of findings consultation = $648.50

IGeneX comprehensive Lyme disease and co-infection testing and report of findings consultation: $1,800

TRAUMA THERAPY TOTAL = $3,000

Specialized trauma therapy specifically geared toward healing autoimmune disease.

MORE ABOUT CORTISOL

Cortisol is an essential hormone that affects almost every organ and tissue in the human body. It plays many important roles, including: regulating blood pressure, regulating blood sugar, helping control the body’s use of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, helping control the sleep-wake cycle, regulating stress response, suppressing inflammation (crucial for people like me with autoimmune PPMS) and much more. My body is producing very little cortisol and this needs to be supported many times per day. 

MORE ABOUT THE DOCTOR I HAVE CHOSEN

I have been extensively researching the top rated functional and integrative doctors for years and decided a few years back on Dr. Keesha Ewers as the very best fit for me. That decision remains true today and she is the doctor that very quickly uncovered these debilitating medical issues after other doctors had overlooked them for years. Dr. Keesha is board certified in both Functional Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine, ARNP in Integrative Medicine, Doctor of Sexology, Psychotherapist certified in several trauma therapies as well as being a certified yoga and meditation teacher, certified Energy Worker, certified Conscious Dying Doula and has over 30 years experience in the medical field. She has reversed her own autoimmune disease, as well as countless other’s, brought herself into full remission from breast cancer and values trauma healing so much in the healing process that she became a psychotherapist to better help heal her patients. I literally trust her with my life.

I will also maintain having an integrative medicine doctor at UCSF Osher Center and a primary care physician in my local area. I am in process of switching to new ones as, thus far, neither of my current ones have been knowledgeable or able/willing to help with the severe symptoms I have described above. The replacements doctors will be necessary to facilitate any basic lab work that is covered by insurance. I will also maintain my wonderful neurologist at UCSF MS Center for care related to Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

MORE ABOUT MY SITUATION

With an autoimmune disease and the other medical issues I have described above I am in a “high risk” group with a greater chance of contracting and experiencing more pronounced symptoms or death from viral infections. I have been advised by my doctors, since March 14, 2020, to self-sequester, away from family, friends, loved ones and the general public, for my highest health and everyone else’s. This extra precaution adds additional challenges to my already challenging situation as I have only seen a handful of friends in person a few times over the last 32 months.

In addition to the new diagnoses described above, I am in the midst of treatments and healing from several life altering diseases and conditions including Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Central Sensitization, Raynaud’s and a host of other central nervous system relate issues.

While I have made great progress in healing and reduction of many of my symptoms my high-risk status, continued severe fatigue and debilitating chemical allergies have made it difficult for me to secure work sufficient to fully support myself and my medical needs.

I had made sufficient progress in 2019 through 2021 to start working very sporadically. A particular stressful contract negotiation in early 2022 nearly killed me and, on top of the stress and physical exertion during my 2021 illegal eviction and move, many body systems that were already struggling just simply crashed. 

MORE ABOUT ME

I have been an Artist Representative for photographers and a kick-ass producer for 20+ years. Before that I was the studio manager, book-keeper and producer for a top San Francisco photographer for years and the equipment manager for Sun Studios in New York City in 1994 through 1996.

I have been in the photography industry for 30 years putting my amazing, brilliant brain to work masterminding massive budgets, negotiating intense legal documents with some of the world’s largest corporations, strategizing complicated shoots on demanding time schedules and planning the intricate details over weeks long shoots, some in foreign countries, for large crews and then editing the thousands upon thousands of photos in a flash. To say that I love my job is a huge understatement!!

That all changed in 2018 to having extreme, debilitating fatigue and profound cognitive issues. My brain, challenged by MS lesions, inflammation and overstimulation of my central nervous system had become completely overwhelmed by simple things like paperwork for insurance claims, trying to navigate finding financial support and even just the basics of researching doctors and checking insurance eligibility. Unable to use a computer and often unable to even read or write.

Thankfully there has been some great progress along the way such as less brain fog, reduced cognitive issues and somewhat better memory. This time of isolation has helped by removing many of the triggers of being out in the overstimulating world with fluorescent lights, loud noises, visual stimulation and environmental chemicals that can create debilitating physical fatigue and shocking cognitive issues. I am now in less physical pain and have completely eliminated the debilitating migraines that I experienced nearly weekly for years. I experience improved mobility in my right (dominant) hand and foot and less MS disability progression overall.

I am so grateful to have the support of my fantastic neurologist at UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Center! She is astounded that I am experiencing progress and reversing “irreversible” disabilities when the statistics for the horrific chronic, degenerative, progressive and incurable disease of Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis would suggest that I would be declining.

I am excited for more answers, further healing and continuing on this path back to being my brilliant, vibrant, self-sufficient, capable self.

I WANT to be able to work and earn enough to support myself and my medical needs!! Unfortunately, due to my high-risk status and health issues my options have been very limited during this extremely challenging pandemic. The financial challenge is unbelievable and very overwhelming.

I am asking for your support and financial help during this difficult time. Any amount is very much appreciated!!

If it is appropriate, please do share this fundraiser with your friends, family, colleagues and to your social media networks.

Thank you for your consideration!

With gratitude and best wishes,

~ Jennifer

P.S. If you or a loved one are struggling with similar issues please do not hesitate to contact me. It is my absolute pleasure to share my experience and all that I have learned. I sincerely hope that some part of my journey may be helpful to others in their healing. Namaste.