Help Miska recover from heavy metal intoxication
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Update - 2022.07.07
Miska wanted to start the fundraiser in February, but felt sorry for the plight of the Ukranians. So he held off starting the campaign. Meanwhile his health gone from bad to worse, and his housing situation is fragile at best.
PS. You can also support Miska by buying his photos. More of the money goes to him via Gofundme, as 50% of photo sales go to fees and taxes. But maybe someone really needs a tree canopy photo :)
Introduction
Miska is suffering from serious heavy metal intoxication combined with two pre-existing autoimmune conditions (Ulcerative Colitis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis) which has greatly affected his physical health. He needs help to fund medical costs and rent for the immediate future, with the goal of being able to secure more permanent housing.
Up until two years ago when his health rapidly deteriorated, Miska worked and volunteered for NGOs, charities and research institutes on pro-society projects. Unfortunately it became impossible to continue work at a meaningful level once his health declined, as his life became consumed with trying to manage symptoms and finding a solution to his housing and employment requirements.
Most of all Miska wants to return to his design and coding work. Alas, currently Miska is so ill that he gets severe pain in dysfunction from trying to laptop, or do much else, indoors. On top of this Miska has medium-high pain through the whole day generally.
Miska’s professional work site is here : https://miska.org/
Previous experience has shown that positive improvements can be made. However, the Corona period has now made health matters extra complicated, and being severely ill with afflictions not treated by public health, or covered by health insurance, doesn’t provide many ways out.
What happened?
The primary condition affecting Miska’s ability to live a “normal” life is the heavy metal intoxication. This began 12 years ago and has only recently been diagnosed by a private specialist in Berlin, after many prior attempts to seek help from medical professionals. The delay in diagnosis also means that the symptoms have increased to the point where it’s extremely hard to improve his situation without help from others. He lives with constant muscle and nerve pain, fatigue, headaches and flu-like symptoms on a daily basis. When most of us feel this unwell we can take time off work and rest until we feel better - but Miska never gets to feel better. Miska can't even stay at home to rest, as environmental factors there worsen his condition. Only with difficulty can Miska sleep at home and must spend the rest of the day outside. His life now bears many similarities to those who suffer with post-viral illnesses such as ME/CFS and long covid.
Arté documentary about me/cfs patients and me/cfs public health researchers in Germany and Norway:
Story of Kyle who developed severe me/cfs after a heavy metal intoxication and his road to recovery :
https://www.healthrising.org/blog/2019/09/21/the-suffering-of-one-relieved-kyle-mcneases-me-cfs-recovery-story-detailed/
German Public broadcaster (ARD) documentary about lacking public health longCovid treatment and private healthcare alternatives
https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/hirschhausens-check-up/die-pandemie-der-unbehandelten/das-erste/Y3JpZDovL2Rhc2Vyc3RlLmRlL2hpcnNjaGhhdXNlbnMtY2hlY2stdXAvMjY4MjNmYTktMjBhNS00YzQ0LWEzNWEtZDJkZmM1ZTI3NGVk
Covid times
The covid pandemic has made things more difficult. His immune system is damaged by the heavy metals and now gets inflammatory overreactions to many chemicals and biological elements. With the pandemic came an increase in heavy chemicals used to sanitise places that he previously used to try to work in (such as cafes). There have also been periods where these places haven’t been open for a long time, meaning he’s not had anywhere to sit and work at all. Most residential properties contain chemicals and/or mould or anti-mould treatments which also cause immune system flare-ups, meaning he can’t work from “home” as he needs to spend a considerable amount of time outside and away from these chemicals. This has become a vicious cycle where he has gradually become more and more unwell, as his body can’t escape the things causing it to overreact.
The plan
The most immediate first step of the plan is to find relevant specialist medical care. Symptoms are often treated separately, and the underlying cause is not looked at. On top of that, heavy metal removal isn’t covered by most health insurances, let alone the causes for it (complex autoimmune illness). This means that medical costs can easily end up being between 10-20k euros a year, in order to remove the toxins, repair the damage and try to help heal his overactive immune system.
Copies of relevant, mostly recurring, medical bills can be found here
A second but just as important step, is to find somewhere to live that can allow Miska’s body to heal, rather than keep him in a state of immune system overreaction. He is currently unable to afford housing that is maintained well and free of the chemicals and mold that cause flare ups, contributing to the worsening situation. He has spent the past two years trying to find suitable housing without success, including traveling to various towns and cities in the hope that the buildings will be less damaging.
Links to further information
Below are links to information about the topics discussed.
—- Miska’s test results, with explanations of values:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EdwTEaI-P2VvuQXjmMtepi8GcszMVHWKmUNfVYyhcwo/edit#heading=h.ju2quq40s5py
—- Typical symptoms of lead intoxication:
—- Miska tries explaining the medical effects of heavy metal intoxications and ME/CFS
—- Some example medical costs, many of which are recurrent
—- Mitcohondrial disease:
—- The Arte documentary about mecfs (from July 2021) notes the problems with mitochondrial damage:
—- Dr Amy Proal discusses how entry of environmental toxins can cause autoimmunity (at 17m45s) : https://youtu.be/UY2vwDbLlno?t=1065
—- Dr Amy Proal talks with Professor Resia Pretorius about vascular damage caused by related illnesses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8tzTmVwEpM
—- This article notes about oxidative stress - eg of chemicals and biology - driving autoimmune intensity: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/si/285493/
—- An example of relevant medical help : Interview with endocrinologist Dr Paul Jenkins, how systematic treatment can address longcovid like damage : https://www.tlcsessions.net/episodes/episode-26-the-sunshine-doctor-endocrinologist-dr-paul-jenkins )
—- These multisystem autoimmune afflictions aren’t covered by health insurance, as noted in this documentary about the related mecfs affliction :
Organizer
michael miska knapek
Organizer
Berlin
