Brandy Lusk with Medical Expenses

Brandy Lusk is the most selfless and caring individual that I have ever met. She will go out of her way to help anyone and creates a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone she meets. She is truly a compassionate soul who brightens the lives of those around her. She gives so much with her involvement in the Ann Arbor Jaycees, JCI MI, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Ann Arbor YMCA, Mott Children's Hospital, Trail's Edge Camp, and more, which showcases her kind heart. Despite facing numerous medical challenges and caring for her service dog with deteriorating health, Dutchess, Brandy humbly focuses on giving rather than receiving help. She is the last person to ever ask for help, which is why I am helping her in this ask.

“I work two different jobs, a preschool teacher and coach, but both are part-time. My main income is my Social Security Disability. My outgoing for my medical bills has just sadly become far more than what is coming in. Because you see, I have multiple chronic diseases that have me on permanent disability since 2012. They wanted me on it far earlier than when I fought for it, but I hate asking for what feels like a hand-out. So, with several thousand dollars spent just on my service dog, my beautiful furbaby, from this year alone, has put me so far in debt. Then, add just regular everyday/monthly bills and all my doctor appointments, medicine co-pays, and over the counter meds, i.e. Nasacort, pain management, plus a few others, I can’t stay above water.”

Brandy’s medical conditions include Seizures, Fainting spells, Gastroparesis, Multiple Traumatic Brain Injuries, PTSD, Myofascial Pain Syndrome, Chronic Pain Syndrome, Chronic Migraines w/aura with status migrainosus, Post concussion syndrome, ADHD/ADD, Pelvic floor dysfunction, EDS or Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Endometriosis, Asthma moderate -severe, allergic reactions, Mallory-Weiss Syndrome, Pars defect of lumber, thoracic, and cervical spine to where C5-T1 discs are bulging and pushing on the spinal cord in a few places causing symptoms down the left arm, neck, traps, and upper back, spine deterioration at C5-C7/T1 causing bones to be very brittle and hard to hold up the neck, Lumber facet arthropathy, Masticatory myalgia, Fibromyalgia, Severe muscle spasms, and a few others not mentioned here.

Dutchess has an underdevelopment of the left eye and recently started losing more of her eyesight, making her unable to do her full-time job, which is to help Brandy be a service dog for seizures and passing out spells from multiple traumatic brain injuries and concussions that has led Brandy to have cognitive decline and a cognitive delay. Dutchess also has a hole in her heart that they found while she was very ill early in the year, and now must be monitored annually by a cardiologist. Her trachea closes off her airway, so she now needs monthly meds for those issues. A disc was slipped and is slightly pressing on her spinal cord, which they are currently treating. She is allergic to just about everything, so she has a written prescription for her special food and special treats, which both are extremely expensive. These are the only two things that she can have without her body breaking out with sores and her paws and body being extremely itchy, so she takes a monthly shot called cytopoint -also extremely expensive.

Your kindness can play a significant role in supporting Brandy get back on her feet. Consider donating to aid her in managing her medical conditions and caregiving responsibilities. Let's rally together to support Brandy Lusk, a true beacon of kindness and generosity. Your contributions can truly make a difference in her life.