Lauren’s Lyme Recovery Fund
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In a typical month, Lauren's medical bills to treat Lyme disease exceed $4,000 dollars.
We are raising $25,000 dollars so that Lauren’s treatments and healing can continue for the next six months. The campaign will close on Sunday April 22. All raised money will be transferred to Lauren to support her in paying for ongoing medical needs.
Lauren Friedwald is a dear friend, daughter and sister. For those who know her, she has been the rock, always there to support, encourage and energize. She cares for others first and for herself second. In her professional life, Lauren is a speech-language pathologist who works at a school in New York City, and is passionate about helping kids who are less privileged to get a good education. In her personal and professional lives she is a constant light, tirelessly helping those around her. But two years ago, she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.
Lyme Disease has turned Lauren’s life upside down. She takes 50+ pills every day, goes for intravenous treatments several times a month, and has been too sick to work for over a year. Worse, Lyme disease is not recognized as an illness by the health insurance company, so she has to pay out of pocket. She has been slowly recovering since she started treatment, and it’s essential for her health that she see it through to the end. But Lauren has come to a point where it's very tough to afford further treatment. In a typical month, she spends over $4,000 on health bills (medical appointments: $1,100; treatments including IV: $1,500: medications and supplements $700; COBRA health insurance: $800). Lauren needs our help to afford the next six months of treatment so she can heal from this devastating disease.
Everyone goes through ups and downs in life. Helping each other when we are down… what could be more important? Please read Lauren's article about living with lyme , give what you can, and share widely. All money raised will go directly to Lauren’s treatment expenses. Even a small amount makes a difference. We thank you for your generosity.
This is how Lauren described living with Lyme disease in an essay in May 2017:
“A year and a half ago, I started feeling off. It began with flu-like symptoms, which I convinced myself was a lingering sinus infection. I made excuses for why I was feeling this way: allergies, working in a school, wedding stress, working too much, having a low immune system. Then, one day in December [2015], my body crashed. For a whole week, I could barely get out of bed. My body felt as if it weighed over 1,000 pounds, I had a migraine that wouldn’t go away with medication and I felt depressed, to the point where I would start randomly crying in public for no reason. It was extremely scary and I didn’t understand what was happening. The next week I felt better, so I just convinced myself that it was a virus. However, over time, these symptoms came roaring back full force along with others: debilitating fatigue, swollen and painful lymph nodes, brain fog, dizziness, intense neck, shoulder and back pain, body aches, tingling and burning sensations, chills and sweats, memory issues, heart palpitations and anxiety… In the meantime, my symptoms got so bad that I had to stop working and I could barely get out of bed. I started treatment, which involved medications, supplements and IVs.”
With any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to a few of Lauren's friends who are managing this gofundme campaign:
Sonia Faruqi: [email redacted]
Yana Morgulis: [email redacted]
We are raising $25,000 dollars so that Lauren’s treatments and healing can continue for the next six months. The campaign will close on Sunday April 22. All raised money will be transferred to Lauren to support her in paying for ongoing medical needs.
Lauren Friedwald is a dear friend, daughter and sister. For those who know her, she has been the rock, always there to support, encourage and energize. She cares for others first and for herself second. In her professional life, Lauren is a speech-language pathologist who works at a school in New York City, and is passionate about helping kids who are less privileged to get a good education. In her personal and professional lives she is a constant light, tirelessly helping those around her. But two years ago, she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.
Lyme Disease has turned Lauren’s life upside down. She takes 50+ pills every day, goes for intravenous treatments several times a month, and has been too sick to work for over a year. Worse, Lyme disease is not recognized as an illness by the health insurance company, so she has to pay out of pocket. She has been slowly recovering since she started treatment, and it’s essential for her health that she see it through to the end. But Lauren has come to a point where it's very tough to afford further treatment. In a typical month, she spends over $4,000 on health bills (medical appointments: $1,100; treatments including IV: $1,500: medications and supplements $700; COBRA health insurance: $800). Lauren needs our help to afford the next six months of treatment so she can heal from this devastating disease.
Everyone goes through ups and downs in life. Helping each other when we are down… what could be more important? Please read Lauren's article about living with lyme , give what you can, and share widely. All money raised will go directly to Lauren’s treatment expenses. Even a small amount makes a difference. We thank you for your generosity.
This is how Lauren described living with Lyme disease in an essay in May 2017:
“A year and a half ago, I started feeling off. It began with flu-like symptoms, which I convinced myself was a lingering sinus infection. I made excuses for why I was feeling this way: allergies, working in a school, wedding stress, working too much, having a low immune system. Then, one day in December [2015], my body crashed. For a whole week, I could barely get out of bed. My body felt as if it weighed over 1,000 pounds, I had a migraine that wouldn’t go away with medication and I felt depressed, to the point where I would start randomly crying in public for no reason. It was extremely scary and I didn’t understand what was happening. The next week I felt better, so I just convinced myself that it was a virus. However, over time, these symptoms came roaring back full force along with others: debilitating fatigue, swollen and painful lymph nodes, brain fog, dizziness, intense neck, shoulder and back pain, body aches, tingling and burning sensations, chills and sweats, memory issues, heart palpitations and anxiety… In the meantime, my symptoms got so bad that I had to stop working and I could barely get out of bed. I started treatment, which involved medications, supplements and IVs.”
With any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to a few of Lauren's friends who are managing this gofundme campaign:
Sonia Faruqi: [email redacted]
Yana Morgulis: [email redacted]
Fundraising team: A few of Lauren's besties (5)
Yana Morgulis
Organizer
New York, NY
Lauren Friedwald
Beneficiary
Sofia Faruqi
Team member
Rachel Natov
Team member
Sonia Faruqi
Team member
Carolyn Hsieh-Krenik
Team member
