TREATMENT FOR DARRAH, JULIE & SCOTT

From my dad--

During a time when my granddaughter should be finishing her college education and starting her career, she is fighting a battle to not only survive, but to accomplish the most simple daily tasks such as eating, sleeping, and overcoming pain and fatigue.
Her brother, Scott, is fighting a similar battle and is unable to finish high school on campus, having to complete school subjects from home.

Darrah and Scott both have Lyme Disease, a silent disease that has multiple viruses affecting many areas of the body at once and standard medical practices don’t work. Because of the progressive nature of this disease, it will only get worse unless treatment is continued. Darrah has always been a fighter and determined to beat this even though it has been plaguing her for the last 10 years. Scott began his fight 3 years ago. The good news is the treatment they are currently on is making a difference for both of them.

However, costs of treatment are astronomical and their family’s reserves are at an end. Their single mom cannot work because of single-handedly caring for their daily needs. On top of that, she has also exhibited symptoms of the same disease. She has had to put off her own treatment to focus on her kids and because Darrah’s situation is so dire. It would be a tragedy to stop treatment on the cusp of healing because of lack of funding.

Current cost for meds, IVs, labs, appointments and various treatments for both children is currently $3900/month. Darrah, who suffers the most, should be doing IV treatments three times a week, but is just doing one because of the cost. Insurance doesn’t cover the majority of treatment so all doctors’ appointments, and most meds are out of pocket, including IV’s.

Due to the disease itself and also the effects of treatment, there are long periods of time where Darrah is bed ridden (sometimes months at a time). She and her brother often have multiple days of appointments each week. Treatment is expected to be 3-5 years for each child, and soon for their mom as well.

Although it has always been hard for this family to ask for help, at this point they are extremely grateful for any kind of financial help and prayers offered on their behalf because estimated treatment for both may last 5 years or more. At the current level of expenses, treatments may exceed $250,000.

Lyme disease is an insidious disease, which can affect individuals in many different ways. Some have only mild symptoms while others suffer chronic health issues that become extremely hard to treat. An ironic twist is that many times a person does not appear sick or ailing. The following links provide more information:

www.lymedisease.org/lyme-basics/lyme-disease/about-lyme

www.ilads.org/lyme/about-lyme.php

www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/lyme-disease