Help Chrystina get MS Medical care & supplies!


We are the family and friends of a warrior! A woman named Chrystina.

She has faced a lot of illness in her young adult life. But her constant pain, illnesses, disease, and lack of answers has never dulled her spirit. Chrystina’s heart has always remained full of hope and filled with love for Jesus. She has always deeply loved and supported her family and friends, reading books, writing, all animals, helping others, painting and learning about all forms of art, music and movies, acquiring knowledge, nature, Disneyland, being an Anglophile, and her absolute favorite - laughing.  Much of what she loves to do she can no longer take part in. 


First, Chrystina has a rare autoimmune disease called  Immune (or Idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) which is a bleeding disorder where the immune system destroys platelets, which are necessary for normal blood clotting. People with the disease have too few platelets in the blood. Chrystina also has huge bilateral pulmonary embolisms. To get rid of these you need to be put on blood thinner, which is the exact opposite medication you would ever be allowed to take for ITP. It makes her extremely high risk of hemorrhages and bleeding out. Which makes the reason for this GoFundMe that much more complicated and dangerous. Chrystina is in desperate need of help and Chrystina and all of us have tried all we can do to help her within a medical system that is severely lacking in the particular medical help she needs.


Summer of last year Chrystina started losing her ability to walk. One day she could, the next day she was dragging her right leg. Ever since then she has had to use a walker because both of her legs are severely weak and unstable, both give out on her, and she regularly has FALLS. Sometimes she can’t feel her legs at all, sometimes they feel switched, numb, tingly, muscle spasms, or have nerve pain shooting through them. Her doctor ordered her a wheelchair SIX (6) MONTHS ago. Chrystina still does NOT have a wheelchair.  She is bed bound most of the time. Having falls is very dangerous for anyone,  but for Chrystina with ITP and on blood thinners one fall could kill her and she has them all the time. She was told that getting a wheelchair from insurance is the hardest medical equipment to get approved. She lives in a rural area and she hasn't been able to receive anything that has been ordered, including much needed specialists.


Chrystina has MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS and it has completely taken over her life. She has advanced symptoms that are worsening quickly.  It’s been 6-7 months and Chrystina is battling:

-lack of limb usage: her legs give out and are always very weak and drag. Also her arms are weak, she cannot pick up anything that isn’t light and her hands give out completely, she can’t grasp mugs, she will wake up with her fingers bent closed and she can’t open them. She has a lot of pain in her limbs. 

-eyesight: she had perfect eyesight prior and she lost it very quickly, everything started becoming blurry, she couldn’t read things, colors would change on her, she couldn’t trust what she saw. She went to an eye doctor and found out her 20/20 vision suddenly dropped to 70/80. She was given glasses that were wonderful for a while but now she has blurry vision with those on as well. MS is taking away her sight. 

-Neurological/Cognitive: Chrystina gets nerve pain throughout her body, weird sensations on her skin, electric shocks, numbness, tingling, etc. Chrystina’s biggest complaint has been her lack of brain function. She says a word but another word comes out, she doesn’t know it happens, she can’t recall words, she will get stuck in a word and keep repeating it, she is forgetting a lot of things, important things, her mind feels empty sometimes, she reads something but her brain interrupts it as something else. She feels like she is losing herself. When she writes she messes up words, can’t spell words she has always known. When she talks she slurs more, talks slower, can’t think of words she knows, forgets things. 

-Fatigue: Chrystina’s body hurts all over and is so exhausted that her fatigue is unlike any she has felt before. She will wake up and she describes it as feeling like narcolepsy that she has no control of falling asleep again, she is that exhausted. It never leaves and just feels like it’s getting worse. 

-Breathing: Chrystina has a lot of problems with breathing. Her hospital doctor demanded ASAP/VITAL that she get a Pulmonologist immediately after she was hospitalized in August of last year and she has yet to get a Pulmonologist.  Her breathing problems have only worsened. She has waited six months for a nebulizer to help her breathe. She has 3 different inhalers. She has a giant pulmonary embolism in her lung, which I’m sure doesn’t help her. Her doctor has told her not to take certain treatments for painful conditions she has until she has seen a Pulmonologist. But after six months and no specialist even in the area and a limited travel area the insurance will cover, things have not been looking up. Chrystina constantly gets the “MS hug” - tightness and pain around your rib cage. Her lungs cause her pain and she is always gasping for air. 

-Incontinence: This has been very difficult for Chrystina. We decided not to go into details to respect her privacy, if you know what this is then you understand and you know how physically difficult it is but also how emotionally damaging it is for a young woman to have to suddenly go through.  This came on suddenly and has worsened severely. She appreciates her independence and now doesn’t have any. She feels like MS is taking everything from her, this one got to her emotionally the most.

But typical of our Chrystina, she always remains hopeful and positive. She never gives up. We want to fight alongside her and help her regain her health and independence. 


This is what Chrystina needs:

Chrystina currently lives in a rural area with no access to the medical specialists she needs. We are moving her close to an MS Center so she can receive the help she desperately needs from the right specialists who can hopefully stop or slow down this extremely fast progression of her advanced Multiple Sclerosis. We have a place for her but she needs help to come up with money to actually move in. She also needs a wheelchair immediately so she can be safe from falling and not risk her life every time she tries to get out of bed.

We would not ask for everyone's help if it wasn't a dire need. More over, Chrystina wouldn't let us do this. She finally gave us her approval to do this for her because it has gotten so severe. Getting her close to an MS Center  and getting her the proper medical  care and equipment to have her safely be able to stay in an apartment with her caretaker could save her life.


Some specific needs for Chrystina include:

-a wheelchair

-a bed

-Disability grab bars and professional installer

-moving costs: moving truck, etc

-Disability Shower Head

-Financial help for Medical Care/Treatment plan not covered by insurance

-Medical ramp for front door

-Medical Elevation wedges

-Medical bed pads

-and other misc medical items

*If this miraculously ever went over our goal, that amount would go towards a vehicle that could hold Chrystina’s wheelchair and be more disabled friendly for her to be driven in.*


Chrystina has always helped others. She has worked with charities, the homeless, animal shelters, children, and her church. She has always gotten so much joy from giving to others and from helping. Our hope is that this time around, we can all help Chrystina. She really needs us. She is fighting incredibly hard but she needs us to fight with her.  


If you could please share this and possibly donate even a dollar,  any amount is a true blessing for Chrystina and to us. We appreciate you and thank you for taking the time to read about a remarkable young woman who we cherish and love with all of our hearts. Please help us, help her. She deserves a long, happy and healthy life. 
 
God Bless you and yours. 


Sincerely,

Chrystina’s family & friends