Help Kenneth fight Lyme Disease!
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Approximately one year ago, Kenneth Hopkins, was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. In case you aren't familiar with Lyme Disease, it is a serious illness caused by the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. Before this he was a normal guy enjoying life after his time in the military. He served 15 months in Iraq and came home a Disabled Veteran. During his time at home he enjoyed being with his family, building fast cars, and he also worked on and off over the years. About three years ago he was struck down with a sudden illness that many doctors and hospitals could not figure out. It would come and go and would leave him with terrible symptoms. Finally after his 4th stay in a hospital a Lyme test came back positive for a Borrelia Burgdorferi infection. This was one year ago!Symptoms of Lyme disease can include one or a combination of the following with varying degrees of severity:
fatigue
fever or chills
headache
spasms or weakness
numbness or tingling
swollen lymph nodes
skin rash
Additional symptoms can include:
cognitive dysfunction (brain fog) or dizziness
nervous system disorders
arthritis/arthritic symptoms (muscle and joint pain)
abnormal heartbeat
Untreated, symptoms can last months to years. They can include recurring arthritis (muscle and joint pain), nervous system and/or neurological problems including suicidal thoughts and actions. Symptoms can also include numbness and/or paralysis (unable to move parts of the body). Although not common, fatalities from Lyme disease have been reported.
He was given a course of antibiotics and he got slightly better but needed more treatment. Unfortunately, the head of Infectious Disease in 3 major hospitals in Pennsylvania would only allow for 30 days of treatment and Kenneth relapsed to the point where he is now. He was back to doing the things he loved and things were pretty normal for Kenneth and his family.
Lyme Disease has completely taken hold again. Every day he gets worse. He has lost a lot of weight and has been in bed for about a few months now. He's usually depressed and angry and I don't blame him. In fact, his whole family is angry at the lack of treatment in America and the fact that insurance companies wont treat him because he does not have the 5 out of 10 bands needed by the CDC to be confirmed. He only has 2, but he has every single symptom of this terrible disease. Finances are so strapped because Kenneth is a disabled U.S Army Iraq War Veteran and can only live within his means. Ashley his fiancé is stretching her pay check beyond it's means to try to cover rent, utilities, food, it's just not working. They need help. Ashley needs her fiancé back.
I want to see them keep their home. I want to see them get their lives back or another vehicle to allow her to get by a little easier when need be and get Kenneth to and from his Veteran appointments. I want to raise the funds necessary to get Kenneth the treatment he needs to get back on his feet because our medical system has let him and his family down and for no good reason other than America and the CDC doesn't recognize a very real and debilitating disease such as Lyme as important enough to get the right treatment.
Lyme Disease has completely taken hold again. Every day he gets worse. He has lost a lot of weight and has been in bed for about a few months now. He's usually depressed and angry and I don't blame him. In fact, his whole family is angry at the lack of treatment in America and the fact that insurance companies wont treat him because he does not have the 5 out of 10 bands needed by the CDC to be confirmed. He only has 2, but he has every single symptom of this terrible disease. Finances are so strapped because Kenneth is a disabled U.S Army Iraq War Veteran and can only live within his means. Ashley his fiancé is stretching her pay check beyond it's means to try to cover rent, utilities, food, it's just not working. They need help. Ashley needs her fiancé back. I want to see them keep their home. I want to see them get their lives back or another vehicle to allow her to get by a little easier when need be and get Kenneth to and from his Veteran appointments. I want to raise the funds necessary to get Kenneth the treatment he needs to get back on his feet because our medical system has let him and his family down and for no good reason other than America and the CDC doesn't recognize a very real and debilitating disease such as Lyme as important enough to get the right treatment.
The treatment and how funds will be used - The funds from this campaign will initially be used for a 3 Week Intensive Treatment at a German clinic that's had outstanding success treating patients like Kenneth with Late Stage Lyme Disease. It will also pay for advanced treatment in Mexico for stem cells, plus several medical devices to facilitate detoxification. The Lyme Disease treatments in Germany include:
- Systemic Whole-Body Hyperthermia
- Detoxification Program
- Initial and Final Lab Controls
- Dark field blood analysis
- VCS (visual contrast sensitivity test)
- CRS (cell regulation screening)
- Infusions with Vitamin C, chelation, selenium, glutathione procaine and/or antibiotics
- Ozone Therapy
- Singulet Oxygen Therapy
- Magnetic Field Treatment
- Laser Therapy
- Colon cleansing
- Plasmapharesis
Chronic Lyme disease at this stage is complex and difficult to treat. Mainly because the cork-screw shaped Borrelia bacteria evades treatment by burrowing, hiding, and forming protective shields (called biofilms) making it resistant to antibiotics; but also because ticks often carry other bacteria transmitting more than one disease during the bite called coinfections.
Because treatment is long term and complex for chronic Lyme disease, health insurance does not cover it. There are lobbyists presently trying to get laws passed to require insurance coverage for chronic Lyme. If you are unable to help financially, please share this. We are desperate for help. This means the world to Kenneth and his family that you would all help. This war vet deserves better then this! Thank you all so much.
Here is a video of his life before Lyme Disease!Thanks for your thoughts, Love, and Prayers.
Kenneth and Family.
Organizer
Ken Hopkins
Organizer
Spring Grove, PA
