Dani & Jen's Recovery Fund

This fund is for my wife Dani and me. We aren't normally the kind of people who ask for anything, ever.  Especially money. We would much rather give. We are asking for help now because we feel like we are being crushed beneath the weight of medical bills, health insurance and everyday expenses. We are both extremely ill and are terrified.

You can read our complete story here (with lots of pictures!) https://memoirsofagayshhh.wordpress.com

(Picture of me (left) and Dani)

Just as Dani and I were starting our lives together, Dani developed a rare condition called Auto-Immune Progesterone Anaphylaxis (APA). It's a condition most doctors have not even heard of (we were always this lucky!). She was the first case to be treated by University of Penn. (I am fairly certain this should have involved some sort of ceremony and a plaque but I don't want to be greedy). Basically, APA means that Dani is allergic to her own "female"hormones.  Dani was always a fan of gender - messing with it, poking fun at it, expressing it. not expressing it, yelling about it, etc.  She did find some irony in this diagnosis but, either way, Dani was very, very sick.  So, this allergy developed last year.

Dani having fun in Arizona in 2013...


Previously, Dani was (and still is, when she isn't met with limitations) a vibrant, energetic, hilarious, physically-fit and health-concious woman. After numerous hospitalizations for anaphylaxis, including a stint in the ICU, she was put on a trial of a drug called Lupron to test for this condition and be 100% certain of her diagnosis.


The Lupron stopped the anaphylaxis, but not before the steroids needed to keep her airway open wreaked havoc on her body. The steroids have caused her to develop osteoporosis. Because of the osteoporosis, she had a fall that led to a broken rib, 15 compression fractures in her vertebra, several of them severe and at one point impinging upon her spine. Shortly after the fractures, due to a compromised immune system, she developed cellulitis that turned into sepsis (which was super scary because they couldn't find the right antibiotic for about 5 days).



After this, she developed severe edema in her stomach and legs. All of these medical issues have resulted in prolonged hospital stays. Finally, her diagnosis of APA was confirmed in July when she had another allergic reaction after discontinuing the Lupron. Once her diagnosis was confirmed, she had a complete hysterectomy on August 14, 2015. The doctors HOPE that this will stop her allergic reactions. 
When we started our lives together, we had dreams of our own place and traveling. Now, as we continue to await the decision on Dani's long-term disability (4 months later), we are on one very low income as I work at a  small non-profit ( I am lucky enough to love my job, though!). We have several thousands of dollars in hospital bills, and further thousands on credit cards. Before Dani hit her deductible with her insurance, her meds cost about $900 a month- $900 that we did not have so we had to put it on credit cards.


Since this was written last year, Jen became sick as well. Our healthcare expenses are in the thousands every month. Jen went out on short term disability in June but her paperwork has been delayed and was only recently submitted. We emptied our savings. We have nothing left. Please see our blog for further details until I am well enough to update this properly