Cataract removal surgery
Donation protected
Hello everyone.
My name is Kourtney. I'm here to raise money for my cataract surgery.
About 18 years ago, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. It's an autoimmune disorder. It's a disease in which my immune system mistakes my own body for a foreign object. So, It starts attacking itself to protct itself. It's a vicious cycle of well being. Another fun little perk of my autoimmune disease; it effects one major organ of your body. Mine happens to be my eyes.
For the first fifteen years or so after I got diagnosed, my opthamologist told me I would go blind. He said he didn't know when, just that he knew I would wake up one day without my vision. So, every day I would wake up worried that that day would be the day. The day my world stayed dark forever.
About 2 years ago, my current opthamologist told me that the threat to my vision wasn't so server. There were still threats, but I should wake up in the mornings with my vision. He told me to live my life, enjoy, and worry about the darkness when it was closing in.
Well, it's starting to close in. Two months ago I realized that I couldn't see very well from my left eye. Things were fuzzy, a bit distorted, but overall, my vision was still there. Things from that point kept getting progressively worse. Driving at night become near impossible, and if it were raining.... forget about it. Reading and drawing, two of my favorite things to do, couldn't be done anymore. No mood lighting or magnifying glass in the world was powerful enough to make the things I wanted to see big enough. As much as I wanted to hear his words, I kept thinking how wrong the doctor was. The darkness was coming. It was setting in faster than I could take. I was hopeless.
There were options, of course, but none I could afford. So, slowly but surely, I got used to the idea that this is what my life would become. The only vision I would have are the ones in my head, collected over time.
I received a break a few months ago. I started working at a new job, with wonderful benefits, and I thank God every day that he put me here. But there was a catch. My insurance only covers so much, and unfortunately, it only covers a small amount of the surgery that I need.
That's why I'm here. I need $4,000.00 by December 18th of this year. I know that's the week before Christmas. I know it's the holidays and families are pinching every penny they have to spoil their loved ones with. I know what even donating $5.00 would mean. The thing is, I don't know if you would know how much it would mean to me. You'd be giving me the best Christmas gift you could give someone. You'd be giving me my sight back. You'lle giving me moments. Seeing my sister on her wedding day, knowing in full detail what my nieces and nephews faces look like, seeing the spark in my moms eyes when she's passionate about something, or seeing the love in peoples eyes. You'd be giving me all of these things and more, and I can't tell you how thankful I am.
My name is Kourtney. I'm here to raise money for my cataract surgery.
About 18 years ago, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. It's an autoimmune disorder. It's a disease in which my immune system mistakes my own body for a foreign object. So, It starts attacking itself to protct itself. It's a vicious cycle of well being. Another fun little perk of my autoimmune disease; it effects one major organ of your body. Mine happens to be my eyes.
For the first fifteen years or so after I got diagnosed, my opthamologist told me I would go blind. He said he didn't know when, just that he knew I would wake up one day without my vision. So, every day I would wake up worried that that day would be the day. The day my world stayed dark forever.
About 2 years ago, my current opthamologist told me that the threat to my vision wasn't so server. There were still threats, but I should wake up in the mornings with my vision. He told me to live my life, enjoy, and worry about the darkness when it was closing in.
Well, it's starting to close in. Two months ago I realized that I couldn't see very well from my left eye. Things were fuzzy, a bit distorted, but overall, my vision was still there. Things from that point kept getting progressively worse. Driving at night become near impossible, and if it were raining.... forget about it. Reading and drawing, two of my favorite things to do, couldn't be done anymore. No mood lighting or magnifying glass in the world was powerful enough to make the things I wanted to see big enough. As much as I wanted to hear his words, I kept thinking how wrong the doctor was. The darkness was coming. It was setting in faster than I could take. I was hopeless.
There were options, of course, but none I could afford. So, slowly but surely, I got used to the idea that this is what my life would become. The only vision I would have are the ones in my head, collected over time.
I received a break a few months ago. I started working at a new job, with wonderful benefits, and I thank God every day that he put me here. But there was a catch. My insurance only covers so much, and unfortunately, it only covers a small amount of the surgery that I need.
That's why I'm here. I need $4,000.00 by December 18th of this year. I know that's the week before Christmas. I know it's the holidays and families are pinching every penny they have to spoil their loved ones with. I know what even donating $5.00 would mean. The thing is, I don't know if you would know how much it would mean to me. You'd be giving me the best Christmas gift you could give someone. You'd be giving me my sight back. You'lle giving me moments. Seeing my sister on her wedding day, knowing in full detail what my nieces and nephews faces look like, seeing the spark in my moms eyes when she's passionate about something, or seeing the love in peoples eyes. You'd be giving me all of these things and more, and I can't tell you how thankful I am.
Organizer
Kourtney Alvarez
Organizer
Braselton, GA