Gregory Bufkin Medical Fund

Hi, my name is Gregory Bufkin. In Mexico, where I have lived for the greatest part of my life, I am known as Gregorio. Before I share my story, please understand, I feel very embarrassed to have to ask for help. Asking for the kindness of strangers to save me from a dreadful situation is so humbling, yet terrifying at the same time. But, after a month here in bed, I can find no other way.  My close friend and former colleague, Diana Smith, encouraged me to have faith in the goodness of people, and I have faith in her, so I am asking for your help.  The reason I need financial help is simply that I can't pay my medical bills as I recover from another serious illness. I am weak and worried, and I have people I have to take care of, and I can barely take care of myself.  About five years ago, I had dengue tropical fever, which seemed to have set off an autoimmune response that was misdiagnosed here as a chronic staph infection. The enormous doses of antibiotics administered constantly made me much worse. t wasn’t until a year and a half ago that it was confirmed that I had no chronic staph infection, but rather a still unspecified autoimmune reaction to that. That mistake left me weak and vulnerable.  I cannot take any antibiotics for anything without being under medical observation, and even when they are administered in this way, my body has a bad reaction—terrible fatigue, fever, headaches, loss of appetite and nausea.  Recently, I have had another serious medical setback, and I am currently still recovering slowly. To try and cover this latest medical crisis, I have taken out  small personal loans from a number of people who helped me , but can no longer do so; I need to pay my minimum monthly living expenses (about $400 U.S. a month) until I can work again, I receive medical help, but it is not covered by insurance so I owe that money as well. The disease is generally not life-threatening they say,  but it is very debilitating and I am quite alone here caring for two elderly people who have been very good to me over the years. I am only able to work part-time now. I still try to provide religious services for local non-church folk and Americans here who are not considered expats, especially Mexican-Americans who are living here. For my work, I usually receive transportation and a meal in lieu of payment. I need help to get caught up until I get on my feet again.  The burden of paying all these monies in my very weak condition while still taking care of my dependents is overwhelming, and the stress makes it worse. I don't need much to help me get back on my feet, and it would be such a blessing as it will make all the difference to my situation. Then I can focus a little bit on regaining my strength and eventually returning to work.  Thank you so much in advance. Gregory Bufkin