Help Marina fight Lupus, Lyme, MTHFR & Reynaud's

Hi, my name is Marina and I am fundraising for my medical needs after being hospitalized. This picture was taken at Hospital #3 after several tests, diagnoses, and procedures. I was recently hospitalized for 3 weeks due to a Lupus flare. I was diagnosed with Pericarditis, inflammation of the sac around my heart, filled with fluid. Both of my lungs were also filled with fluid. I had to have both of my lungs drained (1 Liter of fluid) and placed on many new medications to control the Lupus, get the inflammation down and ease my pain.

For the past 3 years, I have been diagnosed with Lupus, Lyme disease, MTHFR gene mutation and Reynaud's syndrome. My life has completely stopped and changed drastically in this time. I have been hearing from multiple doctors that they needed to get me off of death's door...I've been giving it the good fight, but this is honestly the closest I have ever felt to dying. I could barely breathe and when I did I had extreme chest pain and very shallow breaths. I was barely able to eat, walk, or shower myself. I could not move easily and had to have assistance going to the bathroom. At 29 I have had to use a walker to get around. I was placed in a special cardiac unit to be watched 24/7 and got down to 106 lbs in weight.

I am still recovering from this. Every week I have appointments with the Cardiologist, Pulmonologist, Rheumatologist, Primary Care Physician and more! I need IV infusions, medications, and other treatments to be able to control Lyme disease as well. As you can imagine this is extremely expensive and continuing to add up. I have applied for state disability but am waiting to hear back, it's been over a year of fighting to get approved and I honestly cannot wait any longer for assistance.

I am not normally the type to ask for help, as I like to be the one giving but this is one of the most vulnerable and scary times of my life... After being released from the hospital I was sitting in the disability office feeling the lowest of the low when a commercial came on the TV and a man said, "This is a world where if you ask for what you need, and you believe it will come, it will be given to you. If you allow yourself to receive and open to others you won't be let down. There is always light."

So here I am, asking for what I need, trusting that it will come. Please help me keep fighting, please repost if you feel comfortable, and thank you for taking the time to read part of my story.