Help Bill Dustin Recover from Lyme Disease
I am starting this campaign in hopes of helping my friend Bill Dustin recover from his fight with Lyme Disease. Bill is a husband, and father of three children. He has suffered from Lyme Disease (LD) since 2013; the disease was in his system for 6 years before he was officially diagnosed in 2018, after suffering from several years of insomnia, severe fatigue, Parkinson’s like symptoms (shakiness, tremors, etc.), nausea, brain fog, and dizziness. Because Lyme was in his body's systems for almost 6 years before being diagnosed & treated with antibiotics, he has continued to endure debilitating and long lasting effects almost every single day. Recently, his symptoms have been getting worse — memory loss, neurological issues, hives, random swelling and small seizures (“brain zaps” as they call them.) He is being tested for epilepsy. As someone who has long suffered from chronic illness myself, I know how demoralizing and exhausting being sick all-the-time is.
I’ve set up this GoFundMe in the hopes of raising the funds necessary to assist Bill in becoming a patient at the Stram Center for Integrative Medicine in Delmar, New York. The Stram Center focuses on chronic Lyme Disease — testing and healing from a whole body approach. You can learn more about them and their progressive approach to medicine and medical techniques at https://stramcenter.com. The treatment offered by this clinic is more than just a virtual "band-aid" on the symptoms Bill suffers, but will hopefully offer a comprehensive and extended wellness plan to treat, manage and ultimately eradicate these lingering effects that Lyme has left in his body.
Due to integrative medicine not being covered by traditional insurance, the out-of-pocket cost is very high. This isn't something Bill can afford right now on his own. The initial 4 visits (consultation, testing, and develop of a plan) is upwards of $3,000 and each additional visit is then another $750. I'm budgeting for the initial visits and two follow-ups, plus expenses, medicines, etc. for a goal of $5,000 (UPDATE 10/26 - GOAL TO $10,000) to cover the medical costs incurred.
I know that living with these symptoms has impaired his life - it's become difficult to work, it's become difficult to be the man he wants to be for his family - his wife, his kids, his friends... living with a Chronic Illness is an extremely draining challenge, and if there is a way to offer his relief and help, I want to give him the best chance he can get. He's been very generous to me in the past with my own struggles and I can't think of someone I would want to pay forward to. Please consider a donation - no matter the size, every bit helps Bill & his family defray the costs associated with the treatment.
UPDATE: 10/26/2021 - From Bill Dustin
Hey everyone. We just got back from my third visit to Stram Center for Integrative Medicine in Delmar, NY, and I’ve just about spent all of the money raised thus far on the GoFundMe that Steven Alexander set up for me (thank you so much for donating!). It’s costing a lot more than original expected and I haven’t even started my main treatment plan yet (IV antibiotic therapy and hyperbaric oxygen) in order to rid my body of Lyme, the newly found tick-borne illness Babesia, and other toxins. I did pick up and pay for some supplements as well as 5 different oral antibiotic prescriptions today in order to simply start the healing process. With my diet changes, I have found that the severe daytime fatigue isn’t as bad, but the joint pain, tremors, insomnia, and seizures haven’t gone away. This is going to be a long process and I truly hope to feel like myself (again) sooner than later. Thanks again for being there for me. It means more than you know.
Best,
Bill ❤️
Thank you so much.
Video: What You Need to Know About Lyme Disease