Heidi Bergmark, First Responder Needs Help
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As a First Responder, you never know what type of situation you might walk into each day. From wildfires and flooding, natural disasters, and accidents first responders are often the first face a person sees after a traumatic event. Our first responders are the ones who hold our hands, offer compassion and give us hope in our most challenging and dire moments.
Have you ever asked yourself, who can they turn to when they are in danger? Who rushes in to help them when their child is ill or in crisis? I hope after reading our story, the answer is YOU!
Meet Heidi, a 20 year veteran with the San Francisco Fire Department, a single mother of two incredible girls and a First Responder That Can Use Our Help.
Meet Olivia
An athletic, artistic, energetic middle schooler who should be hanging out in basketball shorts and sneakers playing volleyball, basketball and basically having a good old time.
Unfortunately......A little over two years ago, Olivia began suffering from chronic pain. Olivia has been diagnosed and is being treated for both Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and Conversion Disorder, (Conversion Disorder is completely treatable when treated properly)/ She has been held hostage by her illness. She is unable to attend school, her life has been a series of weekly ER Visits, Dr. appointments, blood draws, physical therapy, emotional therapy and in patient hospital programs. SHE IS ONLY 13 YEARS OLD!
After more than a year of treatment from specialists at both UCSF Children Hospital and Stanford, the current recommended course of treatment for Olivia is a 30 day inpatient treatment center which is not covered by insurance and costs in excess of $50,000.00 .
Below you can read the full story and hopefully you will be inspired to help this amazing family....
October 2017
Olivia started to get very painful headaches. Doctors indicated they were stress headaches and recommended a therapist. Within the next several weeks she had seen the majority of doctors in Tamalpais Pediatrics practice. Each doctor had a different diagnosis.
Her pain continued and she would often end up in the ER. The doctors were very concerned, she had CT scans and MRI’s; however there was no history of migraines in the family and doctors could not pinpoint the cause of the pain, they recommended she continue with therapy and prescribed migraine medication.
In January of 2018 Olivia injured her back. She was completely debilitated. She would scream in pain and cry all day and night long. Her mom took her to the pediatrician who recommended physical therapy and massage. Neither worked. As the pain increased, Olivia returned to the doctor many times, she had stopped eating, she was unable to go to school and often times could not walk.
After an additional eight to ten ER visits and no one being able to give an accurate diagnosis. It was recommended Olivia change pediatricians and see a specialist at Prima Kids. It was the end of February when she was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. CRPS, The best way to describe the diagnosis is to compare it to Fibromyalgia. Very shortly after her diagnosis, the pain became too severe for her to continue to go to school or play sports. Her ability to move and function drastically diminished. She found herself unable to walk more than a block at a time, she wasn't able to stand for more than 3-5 minutes and couldn’t walk up stairs without holding onto the handrail.
After this diagnosis, Olivia was referred to a specialist at USFC Children’s Hospital. The next ten months were brutal, by this time she was not attending school at all, she was in chronic pain, had seizures, was often unable to walk and even unable to wear regular clothes do to skin sensitivity. If Olivia had a minor sprain instead of 3 weeks to get better it would take months. She hurt her foot and was in a walking cast for two months, she had her eyes dilated for new glasses and they did not un dilate for 12 days.
After many months, it was decided the UCSF program was not suitable for Olivia. The doctors at UCSF referred Olivia to Stanford’s PReP program ( Pediatric Rehabilitation Program) which is for children with chronic pain.
Olivia went for an evaluation at Stanford and met with doctors known for their work with CRPS. The course of treatment recommended was a three to six-week inpatient program where Olivia and her mom would be living in the Ronald Mc Donald House.
Of course, insurance denied the treatment plan. Stanford began seeing Olivia without charge for therapy while insurance was being worked out. The claim was sent to Kaiser Liv's alternative insurance, the regional child pain specialist at Kaiser Oakland was able to recommend the Stanford PReP program. After more than a full year of CHRONIC PAIN, excessive therapy and Dr. Visits the family felt there was light at the end of the tunnel.
Olivia was officially accepted to the Stanford program in December of 2018 and made immediate progress. She was able to stand on her own for longer durations. She could walk longer distances and was attending school for 2 hours a day at Stanford Children's Hospital. Everything seemed to be stabilizing. Heidi was working weekends at the Fire Station and Olivia was doing well in therapy. Olivia did so well that she was scheduled to be discharged January 11th.
Unfortunately, this did not last . On January 1st Olivia started to have new symptoms, a rash had begun to show up on her body. The rash would migrate to different intensities and different places on her body, nurses discovered Olivia had no feeling in her feet. While at home Olivia burned the bottom of her feet on a heater because she couldn’t feel her feet. Her fingernails were turning blue and purple. The stress of the pain and symptoms caused her to have severe anxiety attacks. A few days later Olivia began to vomit, started seizing, lost consciousness and 911 had to be called. Olivia continues to have seizures which is the most sever form of Conversion Disorder.
Olivia was seen by several specialists and had a multitude of tests. Her blood work was normal, there was no sign of an autoimmune disease. Her EKG and EGG were normal so the seizures were not epileptic.
One of the specialists brought in to consult explained to Heidi that children with (CRPS) Complex Regional Pain Syndrome sometimes are also diagnosed with Conversion Disorder. Conversion Disorder takes place when an individuals brain converts emotional pain into physical pain which will manifest into actual symptoms like seizures, rashes, numbness in the limbs. Olivia’s nervous system has been on overload for so long her brain is acting out, creating real symptoms to ensure she gets help.
So what's next for Olivia? Conversion Disorder is a treatable and curable recognized disorder. Unfortunately, like many things, INSURANCE WILL NOT COVER THE RECOMMENDED TREATMENT. The Doctors have recommended Olivia go to Paradigm San Francisco. An inpatient facility which has a 30 day program. Olivia would receive 4-5 hours of therapy a day along with a strong school program. Paradigm teaches kids with Conversion Disorder new coping skills in a very structured and safe environment so they can deal with their pain, help her re-enter into a normal school and family life and build the long term skills necessary for a functional and successful life.
Thank you for taking the time to read and and understand what this local family has been going through. We appreciate any and all donation, prayers and good thoughts.
With your help we will get Olivia well, back in school and back on the Volleyball court!
Have you ever asked yourself, who can they turn to when they are in danger? Who rushes in to help them when their child is ill or in crisis? I hope after reading our story, the answer is YOU!
Meet Heidi, a 20 year veteran with the San Francisco Fire Department, a single mother of two incredible girls and a First Responder That Can Use Our Help.
Meet Olivia
An athletic, artistic, energetic middle schooler who should be hanging out in basketball shorts and sneakers playing volleyball, basketball and basically having a good old time.
Unfortunately......A little over two years ago, Olivia began suffering from chronic pain. Olivia has been diagnosed and is being treated for both Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and Conversion Disorder, (Conversion Disorder is completely treatable when treated properly)/ She has been held hostage by her illness. She is unable to attend school, her life has been a series of weekly ER Visits, Dr. appointments, blood draws, physical therapy, emotional therapy and in patient hospital programs. SHE IS ONLY 13 YEARS OLD!
After more than a year of treatment from specialists at both UCSF Children Hospital and Stanford, the current recommended course of treatment for Olivia is a 30 day inpatient treatment center which is not covered by insurance and costs in excess of $50,000.00 .
Below you can read the full story and hopefully you will be inspired to help this amazing family....
October 2017
Olivia started to get very painful headaches. Doctors indicated they were stress headaches and recommended a therapist. Within the next several weeks she had seen the majority of doctors in Tamalpais Pediatrics practice. Each doctor had a different diagnosis.
Her pain continued and she would often end up in the ER. The doctors were very concerned, she had CT scans and MRI’s; however there was no history of migraines in the family and doctors could not pinpoint the cause of the pain, they recommended she continue with therapy and prescribed migraine medication.
In January of 2018 Olivia injured her back. She was completely debilitated. She would scream in pain and cry all day and night long. Her mom took her to the pediatrician who recommended physical therapy and massage. Neither worked. As the pain increased, Olivia returned to the doctor many times, she had stopped eating, she was unable to go to school and often times could not walk.
After an additional eight to ten ER visits and no one being able to give an accurate diagnosis. It was recommended Olivia change pediatricians and see a specialist at Prima Kids. It was the end of February when she was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. CRPS, The best way to describe the diagnosis is to compare it to Fibromyalgia. Very shortly after her diagnosis, the pain became too severe for her to continue to go to school or play sports. Her ability to move and function drastically diminished. She found herself unable to walk more than a block at a time, she wasn't able to stand for more than 3-5 minutes and couldn’t walk up stairs without holding onto the handrail.
After this diagnosis, Olivia was referred to a specialist at USFC Children’s Hospital. The next ten months were brutal, by this time she was not attending school at all, she was in chronic pain, had seizures, was often unable to walk and even unable to wear regular clothes do to skin sensitivity. If Olivia had a minor sprain instead of 3 weeks to get better it would take months. She hurt her foot and was in a walking cast for two months, she had her eyes dilated for new glasses and they did not un dilate for 12 days.
After many months, it was decided the UCSF program was not suitable for Olivia. The doctors at UCSF referred Olivia to Stanford’s PReP program ( Pediatric Rehabilitation Program) which is for children with chronic pain.
Olivia went for an evaluation at Stanford and met with doctors known for their work with CRPS. The course of treatment recommended was a three to six-week inpatient program where Olivia and her mom would be living in the Ronald Mc Donald House.
Of course, insurance denied the treatment plan. Stanford began seeing Olivia without charge for therapy while insurance was being worked out. The claim was sent to Kaiser Liv's alternative insurance, the regional child pain specialist at Kaiser Oakland was able to recommend the Stanford PReP program. After more than a full year of CHRONIC PAIN, excessive therapy and Dr. Visits the family felt there was light at the end of the tunnel.
Olivia was officially accepted to the Stanford program in December of 2018 and made immediate progress. She was able to stand on her own for longer durations. She could walk longer distances and was attending school for 2 hours a day at Stanford Children's Hospital. Everything seemed to be stabilizing. Heidi was working weekends at the Fire Station and Olivia was doing well in therapy. Olivia did so well that she was scheduled to be discharged January 11th.
Unfortunately, this did not last . On January 1st Olivia started to have new symptoms, a rash had begun to show up on her body. The rash would migrate to different intensities and different places on her body, nurses discovered Olivia had no feeling in her feet. While at home Olivia burned the bottom of her feet on a heater because she couldn’t feel her feet. Her fingernails were turning blue and purple. The stress of the pain and symptoms caused her to have severe anxiety attacks. A few days later Olivia began to vomit, started seizing, lost consciousness and 911 had to be called. Olivia continues to have seizures which is the most sever form of Conversion Disorder.
Olivia was seen by several specialists and had a multitude of tests. Her blood work was normal, there was no sign of an autoimmune disease. Her EKG and EGG were normal so the seizures were not epileptic.
One of the specialists brought in to consult explained to Heidi that children with (CRPS) Complex Regional Pain Syndrome sometimes are also diagnosed with Conversion Disorder. Conversion Disorder takes place when an individuals brain converts emotional pain into physical pain which will manifest into actual symptoms like seizures, rashes, numbness in the limbs. Olivia’s nervous system has been on overload for so long her brain is acting out, creating real symptoms to ensure she gets help.
So what's next for Olivia? Conversion Disorder is a treatable and curable recognized disorder. Unfortunately, like many things, INSURANCE WILL NOT COVER THE RECOMMENDED TREATMENT. The Doctors have recommended Olivia go to Paradigm San Francisco. An inpatient facility which has a 30 day program. Olivia would receive 4-5 hours of therapy a day along with a strong school program. Paradigm teaches kids with Conversion Disorder new coping skills in a very structured and safe environment so they can deal with their pain, help her re-enter into a normal school and family life and build the long term skills necessary for a functional and successful life.
Thank you for taking the time to read and and understand what this local family has been going through. We appreciate any and all donation, prayers and good thoughts.
With your help we will get Olivia well, back in school and back on the Volleyball court!
Organizer and beneficiary
Gloria Atherstone
Organizer
Larkspur, CA
Heidi Bergmark
Beneficiary
