Urgent Medical and Dental Care for Maria & Dominic

**August News: Dental Exam & Goal Update **

Hi friends, thanks to you, Maria started her IV treatments, and we finally got into a dentist for examination. Unfortunately, the fees for my own dental work alone are beyond double what we'd estimated they'd be: I need extensive work so that I can regain chewing on both sides of my mouth.

The cost of the dental alone for both of us is equal to the initial goal of this fundraiser. Our only options are to ask for help, or take on more debt to cover both Maria's medical, and our dental needs.

We're grateful beyond belief for all your kindness in the initial fundraiser. You all have helped us to be in a much better position to afford the care we need. However, I'm now facing the difficult decision to take out more loans to cover the unexpected costs of all of this dental and medical care.

We still have years left of debt repayment for the last round of Maria's medical care from 6 years ago, and taking on more debt for us is not sustainable. But there's no getting around it; we need to continue to be able to afford to get Maria the care she needs. Every dollar you send our way is a massive help. ❤️ I'd like to ask for your help again.

Thank you so much for your time, for sharing our story, and your continued prayers and support.

------------------

Our Story

Hi friends! My wife, Maria, and I need your help with emergency medical and dental expenses. We've been carrying a crippling weight the last four years. We need your help.

I met Maria online 12 years ago. It was a whirlwind romance, where I was living all the way in Australia, and she was in Maryland. Since we got married, Maria has suffered from a host of crippling symptoms - due to a Lyme Disease diagnoses.

In 2018, we found an intensive IV clinic for Lyme-specialized care. We were so grateful that she could get cutting-edge treatment from some of the best and most impactful specialists available.

We took a leap of faith to get her this treatment - a leap that would crash and burn us badly, but we didn't know it yet. The fees were $80,000. Our medical care provider assured us that the complicated lab work, medical port surgery, prescription medications, and intensive IV treatments would be completely covered and reimbursed.

So we took out that $80K loan and flew out to get her the immediate care that she needed. We were filled with hope: her health was showing incredible improvement. After 3 months, we flew home and Maria continued her post-IV treatment care with her doctor online.

For the next year, our medical provider reassured us that everything was covered... until they had discovered a loophole that legally exempted them from having to cover anything. Around the same time, a family member withdrew their financial support.

This was a terrible blow. I'm the sole provider for my family, and the medical loan became a back-breaking expense for us.

Then, COVID... Maria's health took a sudden turn, with severe symptoms like anaphylactic shock. We learned its a condition called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). An MCAS specialist properly diagnosed her, but we couldn't continue her treatment because of the high costs.

When an MCAS flare is severe, it becomes debilitating. It can make you life-threateningly allergic to many normal foods, medicines, products, etc (among other symptoms).

Maria had to slash most foods from her diet so that she could breathe, until she was left with only 4 things that I have had to carefully prepare three times a day, every day, for the past four years.

We immediately cancelled our health care coverage, and stopped all of Maria's appointments and treatment. We needed every spare dollar to afford the loan repayments and the high cost of her new diet.

It gets worse

One year ago, we learned it's common for MCAS flares to trigger because of exposure to mold mycotoxins. At the time, we had discovered recurring, stinking mold in our rental's HVAC. Now we understood why she collapsed so quickly.

We stayed in the next rental home for 3 years. We weren't prepared for the high humidity, roof leaks... and black mold. It was so bad that I was taking Ibuprofen almost daily just to push through my migraines. We had no choice. I needed to get through my work day, feed my family, find freelance work, and keep our lives going. My gut was routinely in pain, and my molars started melting away from cavities. Inhaling mycotoxins (which got worse every time it rained), led to depression, brain fog, fatigue, etc. My little daughter would break out in uncontrollable allergies, and have fits of vomiting during the night.

We needed to leave. With the little strength we had left, and a kind advance from my employer, we spent it all to get out, and get into a mold-free home. We needed to give Maria the best chance at recovery after this mold exposure. So we sold and threw away everything: all our furniture, personal items, even all our clothing.

It's now been three months. We've found a space to breathe... and a minute to think. To realize that we're not crazy. Our burden is more than any sane family can bear alone. We've needed help for a long time, and have been afraid to ask for it.

We both are suffering from deep cavities that make eating painful. A dentist has told me two more of my molars may need extraction or crowns, and complicated dental surgery. I have to bear up under daily pain.

We need your help!

We're trusting in the kindness and generosity of the good givers on GoFundMe. You once came to our rescue, and changed our lives.

Here's what we'll do with your donations:

First, Maria and I will get the dental surgeries and emergency care that we need.

Second, Maria will get lab work done to asses her health situation, what nutritional therapies and medication are needed, and a medical evaluation of her current state.

Third, she will start IV nutritional therapy to offset 4 years of a nutritionally deficient diet. In the past, her response to this type of therapy has been very good. Thankfully now, she'll actually have a chance at rebuilding her health in a mold-free environment.

Anything above our goal allows Maria to begin and continue ongoing treatment with the MCAS specialist who is trained to work with special cases like hers. He can prescribe a treatment plan with monthly appointments, more in depth lab work, genetic testing, and prescription medications. He can guide her through recovery from such a long flare, and provide her with a roadmap to gently detox from mold mycotoxins.

Other ways to help

With your help, we can rebuild our family and health! My little girl is now 11, and the only mother she's ever known has been mostly bedridden - with a few bursts of heroic effort to look pretty for her birthdays, make her a birthday cake, and visit a park... before collapsing again.

I will continue working as hard as ever to create more freedom for my family. I work full-time as a remote marketer, and freelance in the evenings and weekends to pay bills. That's my call as a husband and dad. But the medical load on my shoulders is bigger than I can carry alone.

We realize this is a hard time for families everywhere, and we're so grateful you made it this far. Your kind words, prayers, and support mean the world to us.

If donations aren't possible, you could check out my business and website. If you know someone who needs help with branding, graphic design, or websites, please visit sagabrand.co

Thank you so much for giving at any level! We plan to share photos and updates of our progress and treatment right here on GoFundMe.

Thank you for hearing and sharing our story!

God bless you and yours!