Help lifetime educator fight rare disease

If you have lived in Hays County for any period of time, you know Karen and Joey Lucita. These two amazing people have devoted their lives to educating children in our community. And if you have had the privilege of working with them or the blessing of them working with your children, you know that they are selfless, positive rocks upon which they continuously have lifted our children. Now it is time for us to lift them. To be rocks for them. To show them just how much we appreciate their contributions to our Hays community and their positive impact on our children.

Just a few months ago Karen was diagnosed with Granulomatosis with polyangiitis, a rare disease marked by inflammation of the blood vessels. The condition is potentially life-threatening and the doctor had prepared Karen and Joey for that possibility. After several tests they received good news that there was a treatment that could help put the disease in remission and help Karen live a long life. Karen got tested by three different specialists who each prescribed the same drug treatment. However, their insurance denied coverage of that drug and informed them that Karen would have to use another, cheaper alternative drug – one that a survivor from her support group had used and lost her vision before their insurance finally let her use the preferred drug. But the prescribed drug is too expensive for them to afford without their insurance coverage. The insurance company’s denial has stolen what hope Karen and Joey had gained after all three doctors had prescribed the proven drug treatment.  They will continue to fight the insurance company, but time is of the essence for Karen to increase her chances of keeping her eyesight.

Let’s show them that there is still hope and help them afford to fight this disease with the treatments that Karen’s doctors believe will help her save her eyesight and live a long life.