Help Fawn to beat Sarcoidosis!

Hi, My name is Gabby. I want to tell you about my best friend.....

My friend Fawn Wells, who is someone’s daughter, sister, friend, fiancée, mom, best friend, niece, granddaughter, has recently been diagnosed with multiple forms of aggressive sarcoidosis. Like Cancer, there is no cure. The good news for Fawn is that it’s NOT cancer. Below are some key points about this inflammatory disease.

We would like to show our support to her and her family in these tight times. She is currently receiving chemo, and they travel to Dartmouth frequently, where she receives her care. The travel expenses can feel heavy and overwhelming. Compound that with time away from home, missing special events with the boys, as well as simply trying to be present… loss of income from work also makes home life catastrophic – from groceries, to household bills to a number of other aspects.

We fully recognize that times and finances are hard for everyone right now. Fawn is not someone who would ever ask for help on her own – but she is the first one who would make a dish for your family in your time of need, she would organize fund raisers and other forms of support for both people she knows and for those she doesn’t. She has an enormous heart!! With the love and generosity her heart has given to others, it’s a wonder that it fits inside her body.

Please consider donating to help Fawn and her family! If you can’t donate financially, PLEASE SHARE THIS CAMPAIGN. And please share it often.

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease in which the immune system overreacts, causing clusters of inflamed tissue called "granulomas" to form in different organs of the body. Sarcoidosis most commonly affects the lungs and lymph nodes, but it can also affect the eyes, skin, heart, and nervous system. Sarcoidosis affects females more often than males across all ages and ethnicities.

Fawn has been diagnosed as having dermatological sarcoidosis (skin), pulmonary sarcoidosis (lungs), hepatic sarcoidosis (liver), renal sarcoidosis (kidneys), Ocular sarcoidosis (eyes) and cardiac sarcoidosis (heart).

Dermatological sarcoidosis: The most common lesions are small bumps and broad, raised skin lesions. They are often red-brown or purple but can also be flesh colored or shades of tan or brown. Rashes, raised patches, lumps under the skin, blisters, and lesions are all common.

Pulmonary sarcoidosis: Chronic, unresolved inflammation in the lungs may result in scarring (fibrosis) that permanently damages the lung tissue and can lead to lung failure and death. Cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue, and night sweats are among the common symptoms.

Hepatic sarcoidosis: severe cases require liver transplantation

Renal sarcoidosis: Increases the production of vitamin D by the body. Vitamin D stimulates the intestines to absorb calcium and causes the kidneys to reabsorb calcium instead of releasing it as waste in the urine. High levels of calcium in the blood also cause blood vessels in the kidney to constrict, preventing proper clearance of waste from the blood and leading to dehydration. The combination of these factors set up the right conditions for the development of kidney stones, which can further obstruct the kidneys. In rare cases, inflammation and calcium buildup in the channels of the kidney can lead to kidney failure .

Cardiac sarcoidosis: Tiny collections of immune cells form granulomas in the heart tissue and can interfere with normal functioning. This can result in heart rhythm abnormalities, also known as arrhythmias. Symptoms of cardiac sarcoidosis can be life-threatening.

Ocular sarcoidosis: itchy burning eyes, blurred vision, red/painful eyes, sensitivity to light, reduced color vision, potential blindness

Each of these conditions, individually have their own specific symptoms, but all share the combination of fatigue, fever, skin lesions, diminished eyesight, extreme difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, bloating, severe pain, and a litany of other symptoms. Compound these symptoms with the side effects of chemotherapy, and you get the idea….

Please! Please! Please! Please consider donating to help Fawn and her family! If you can’t donate financially, please share this campaign. And please share it often. If you would like to financially support Fawn but want to do it directly – please let me know, and I’ll provide you with her personal contact information.

For those who wish to donate directly to Fawn, please message Mary Kay DuPrat, Fawn's step mother for contact information. Mary Kay and myself, Gabby, are the only ones who are assisting with this fundraiser.