Saman's Medical Fund
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This is an appeal for desperately needed medical financial assistance by a brave young woman fighting a disabling condition on her own as her family is unable to assist her financially or logistically. Please consider this request and donate generously, every dollar counts-help Saman on her road to recovery!
Saman is a young, talented Muslim woman from Pakistan who has been afflicted with not one but two debilitating and complex diseases that have limited her ability to work and even meet her daily needs. Thanks to support and funding from friends and donors received last year, she has been able to start medical treatment and a plan of care without which she would be seeking periodic emergency room care for a painful and deteriorating condition.
She is closer to achieving some stability as her medical providers determine tests and treatments for her various symptoms and complex condition. However, without continued funding, her recovery will not be possible if an early intervention is left halfway, and her health is likely to deteriorate irreversibly. Thus, financial help is needed urgently as funds collected to date will be depleted in June 2017.
Background
Saman graduated from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 2011 with a Masters in Environmental Management, and a Bachelors in Economics from LUMS in 2005. She is currently on medical leave from a Sustainable Development PhD program at the University of Melbourne, in Australia. Throughout her academic career she was awarded full scholarships based on high merit and need.
In 2016, while visiting Pakistan, Saman was chemically burnt by a solution that left her skin damaged and very delicate. At the same time, after a misdiagnosis of appendicitis she was prescribed fluoroquinolone, a drug known to trigger autonomic dysfunction, neuropathy and tendinitis – all of which Saman is now suffering from. The symptoms that resulted could not be diagnosed or treated by even the best medical facilities in Pakistan.
Saman bravely decided to come to the US alone with limited resources in hopes of a proper diagnosis and treatment. It was only recently that she has been diagnosed with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) a classification of dysautonomia and is now being evaluated for Sjogren's disease , an autoimmune disease. She suffers from severe low blood pressure, dizziness, dehydration, loss of balance, difficulty walking and in digesting foods, severe joint pain and frequent fainting spells which have on occasion led to broken bones from falls. She also suffers from numbness of extremities, chronic dry mouth and eyes, dental erosion and dental loss, and chronic fatigue causing her to visit the ER twelve times in the past nine months.
Why you should help Saman
Once a strong, motivated, and independent woman, Saman is now dependent on the generosity of others to survive. Without support from family who are all in Pakistan, she must rely on donations to live and seek treatment in the US because her condition is not understood in Pakistan.
Saman is now living in temporary housing in Boston as her care is currently being managed by doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital and affiliated care providers who have now been able to help identify the syndrome behind her crippling symptoms.
She also aims to be treated by a highly-recommended POTS specialist at Mayo Clinic (http://journals.lww.com/theneurologist/Abstract/2017/07000/Spectrum_of_Autonomic_Nervous_System_Impairment_in.5.aspx)
as as there is limited global expertise to successfully treat the underlying disease from which she suffers.
With your help and donations, she can recover and pursue her plans of becoming the first person in her family to earn a PhD. In the long run, Saman has plans to continue working on policy innovation at the national and international level to help communities, particularly vulnerable populations, mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. She particularly wants to resume advocacy in support of more inclusive and equitable frameworks for governance and access.
Most importantly because of her personal journey and witnessing the challenges of other patients fighting similar battles, Saman hopes to be an advocate for other patients to create greater awareness of:
-the dangers of indiscriminate use of antibiotics and;
-champion raising funds for a cure and better access to health care for those afflicted with invisible and systemic diseases like Sjogren’s and POTS that predominantly affect women.
What Saman Needs
Saman is fiercely independent and remains determined to resume her life as it was before she became ill. You can help in making that happen. She currently needs funds for the following expenses:
• Rent and utilities
• Ground Transportation
• Food, medications and other miscellaneous expenses including caregiving support
• Air Travel including return flight
• Treatments and Diagnostics for:
o Dry mouth (Tufts Medical)
o POTS
o Tests for Sjorgen’s disease and IVIG /immunotherapy treatment (if diagnosed)
o Dental loss and major surgery (out-of-pocket dental costs)
o Biopsies for diagnostics
To help Saman, manage her condition, assimilate nutrients and make her more mobile- doctors have recommended an integrated care program that includes both physical therapy and advanced therapies proven to help those with autoimmune illness and POTS
o Pain management and Rehabilitation (Partners Care Network Hospitals)
o Lymphatic therapy and Acupuncture (Brigham Women's Hospital)
o Nutrition and IV therapy
o Functional and Ayurveda Medicine
Also needed is assistance in-kind for locals who wish to volunteer with caregiving tasks to help reduce her living costs in the Boston area.
Another option for those who prefer is to help pay for medical bills directly - please contact us at [email redacted]
Our target for funds is $85,000. With your donations, you can help save Saman’s life. Thank you in advance for your contribution!
Saman’s Fundraising Team:
Hosna Sheikholeslami (Yale, California)
Ibrahim (Indiana University, Indiana)
Zahra Khan (MIT, California)
Saima Khan (NUS Singapore)
Sabeen Bilal (LUMS)
Note: Donations can also be made offline in bank accounts established for Saman in Australia, Pakistan and USA. Confidential information pertaining to banking details or her specific plan of care and costs can be sought by writing to us at [email redacted]
This is an appeal for desperately needed medical financial assistance by a brave young woman fighting a disabling condition on her own as her family is unable to assist her financially or logistically. Please consider this request and donate generously, every dollar counts-help Saman on her road to recovery!
Saman is a young, talented Muslim woman from Pakistan who has been afflicted with not one but two debilitating and complex diseases that have limited her ability to work and even meet her daily needs. Thanks to support and funding from friends and donors received last year, she has been able to start medical treatment and a plan of care without which she would be seeking periodic emergency room care for a painful and deteriorating condition.
She is closer to achieving some stability as her medical providers determine tests and treatments for her various symptoms and complex condition. However, without continued funding, her recovery will not be possible if an early intervention is left halfway, and her health is likely to deteriorate irreversibly. Thus, financial help is needed urgently as funds collected to date will be depleted in June 2017.
Background
Saman graduated from Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 2011 with a Masters in Environmental Management, and a Bachelors in Economics from LUMS in 2005. She is currently on medical leave from a Sustainable Development PhD program at the University of Melbourne, in Australia. Throughout her academic career she was awarded full scholarships based on high merit and need.
In 2016, while visiting Pakistan, Saman was chemically burnt by a solution that left her skin damaged and very delicate. At the same time, after a misdiagnosis of appendicitis she was prescribed fluoroquinolone, a drug known to trigger autonomic dysfunction, neuropathy and tendinitis – all of which Saman is now suffering from. The symptoms that resulted could not be diagnosed or treated by even the best medical facilities in Pakistan.
Saman bravely decided to come to the US alone with limited resources in hopes of a proper diagnosis and treatment. It was only recently that she has been diagnosed with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) a classification of dysautonomia and is now being evaluated for Sjogren's disease , an autoimmune disease. She suffers from severe low blood pressure, dizziness, dehydration, loss of balance, difficulty walking and in digesting foods, severe joint pain and frequent fainting spells which have on occasion led to broken bones from falls. She also suffers from numbness of extremities, chronic dry mouth and eyes, dental erosion and dental loss, and chronic fatigue causing her to visit the ER twelve times in the past nine months.
Why you should help Saman
Once a strong, motivated, and independent woman, Saman is now dependent on the generosity of others to survive. Without support from family who are all in Pakistan, she must rely on donations to live and seek treatment in the US because her condition is not understood in Pakistan.
Saman is now living in temporary housing in Boston as her care is currently being managed by doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital and affiliated care providers who have now been able to help identify the syndrome behind her crippling symptoms.
She also aims to be treated by a highly-recommended POTS specialist at Mayo Clinic (http://journals.lww.com/theneurologist/Abstract/2017/07000/Spectrum_of_Autonomic_Nervous_System_Impairment_in.5.aspx)
as as there is limited global expertise to successfully treat the underlying disease from which she suffers.
With your help and donations, she can recover and pursue her plans of becoming the first person in her family to earn a PhD. In the long run, Saman has plans to continue working on policy innovation at the national and international level to help communities, particularly vulnerable populations, mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. She particularly wants to resume advocacy in support of more inclusive and equitable frameworks for governance and access.
Most importantly because of her personal journey and witnessing the challenges of other patients fighting similar battles, Saman hopes to be an advocate for other patients to create greater awareness of:
-the dangers of indiscriminate use of antibiotics and;
-champion raising funds for a cure and better access to health care for those afflicted with invisible and systemic diseases like Sjogren’s and POTS that predominantly affect women.
What Saman Needs
Saman is fiercely independent and remains determined to resume her life as it was before she became ill. You can help in making that happen. She currently needs funds for the following expenses:
• Rent and utilities
• Ground Transportation
• Food, medications and other miscellaneous expenses including caregiving support
• Air Travel including return flight
• Treatments and Diagnostics for:
o Dry mouth (Tufts Medical)
o POTS
o Tests for Sjorgen’s disease and IVIG /immunotherapy treatment (if diagnosed)
o Dental loss and major surgery (out-of-pocket dental costs)
o Biopsies for diagnostics
To help Saman, manage her condition, assimilate nutrients and make her more mobile- doctors have recommended an integrated care program that includes both physical therapy and advanced therapies proven to help those with autoimmune illness and POTS
o Pain management and Rehabilitation (Partners Care Network Hospitals)
o Lymphatic therapy and Acupuncture (Brigham Women's Hospital)
o Nutrition and IV therapy
o Functional and Ayurveda Medicine
Also needed is assistance in-kind for locals who wish to volunteer with caregiving tasks to help reduce her living costs in the Boston area.
Another option for those who prefer is to help pay for medical bills directly - please contact us at [email redacted]
Our target for funds is $85,000. With your donations, you can help save Saman’s life. Thank you in advance for your contribution!
Saman’s Fundraising Team:
Hosna Sheikholeslami (Yale, California)
Ibrahim (Indiana University, Indiana)
Zahra Khan (MIT, California)
Saima Khan (NUS Singapore)
Sabeen Bilal (LUMS)
Note: Donations can also be made offline in bank accounts established for Saman in Australia, Pakistan and USA. Confidential information pertaining to banking details or her specific plan of care and costs can be sought by writing to us at [email redacted]
Organizer and beneficiary
Saman Ik
Organizer
Boston, MA
Hosna Sheikholeslami
Beneficiary
