Help Nancy access life saving treatment
Donation protected
A very good friend of mine is going through very difficult times and his wife Nancy, has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. They are not the only ones going through tough times, many people are going through desperate times as well. I am hoping that our friends and connections will find it in their hearts to donate to help this amazing family. I will let him tell you his story and situation himself:
I live with my wife and three kids in El Salvador, where I used to have a good job, and a small apartment before the COVID pandemic hit the country. My wife went to beauty school; all was going well, except that she occasionally felt dizzy, which was diagnosed as a Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).
Back in March, a mandatory lockdown was imposed upon the entire country. I got a furlough notice from my job, so we had to start thinking of entrepreneurial ideas. We decided to begin selling products to survive and be able to afford something to eat. My wife took advantage of her career and started giving online makeup classes, but we couldn’t get much out of it due to the emergency within the country.
In the second month of lockdown, my wife’s health began to deteriorate. She started throwing up uncontrollably, so I took her to the ER. When that symptom was under control, and we were back at the apartment, another symptom kicked in: She could not control her legs’ movements. Coordination from the waist down was non-existent. She could neither walk nor stand. She also experienced numbness of an arm and double-vision.
We were instructed to see a neurologist who performed an urgent magnetic resonance test. The results revealed more than 20 injuries and indicated a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. That was a life-changing moment because MS is a demyelinating disease that attacks the brain and the spinal cord for no known reason, and as of today, there is no cure.
She began a 4-week treatment with 3-day periods at the hospital, where she was receiving IV steroids to reduce the swelling, heal the injuries, and little by little, try to re-establish her physical faculties. Doctors explained that this would be a life-long treatment necessary for her survival, controlling the disease, and reducing the possibility of new symptoms reappearing and causing permanent harm. Unfortunately, we couldn’t afford to pay for the treatment. She’s currently vulnerable to an attack of her illness at any moment.
After two months, she started to feel some numbness around the neck and shoulders. We returned to the ER and saw another doctor who requested a resonance of the spinal cord. Results revealed new injuries caused by these symptoms, and she again received a strong, long-lasting steroid treatment.
If she does not begin the life-long treatment, there is a risk that new injuries will be caused by these flare-ups (these injuries occur when any “new” symptoms kick in) as we have recently seen it.
We are trying day-to-day to face this disease and struggling to put food on the table and afford a place to live. Due to the pandemic, I have unfortunately been unable to get a full-time job. It is difficult at the age of 53 in my country. The possibility of my wife experiencing a flare-up at any time makes it even harder for her to find employment.
Before the end of the year, she needs to have new resonances to “control” the number of new injuries. Each of which costs around $450 - $500.
There is a chance she needs to have a spinal tap, $2,500 - $3,500.
We must begin the life-long treatment as soon as possible to maintain “control” over the disease and avoid new injuries that occur during new flare-ups. In our country, they use Betaferon (Bayer). These are the treatments we cannot afford now and would like to begin until we can reach 2021.
The solution to a life-long treatment would be a form of social security which is available in El Salvador, and not available until the beginning of 2021— Due to COVID, it is currently beyond capacity.
We are so thankful for any donation you may provide, small or big. We need this urgently to hold us over and start treatment until January where i should be able to get on social security and have access to a more permanent solution. - Francisco Elena and Nancy Elena
I live with my wife and three kids in El Salvador, where I used to have a good job, and a small apartment before the COVID pandemic hit the country. My wife went to beauty school; all was going well, except that she occasionally felt dizzy, which was diagnosed as a Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).
Back in March, a mandatory lockdown was imposed upon the entire country. I got a furlough notice from my job, so we had to start thinking of entrepreneurial ideas. We decided to begin selling products to survive and be able to afford something to eat. My wife took advantage of her career and started giving online makeup classes, but we couldn’t get much out of it due to the emergency within the country.
In the second month of lockdown, my wife’s health began to deteriorate. She started throwing up uncontrollably, so I took her to the ER. When that symptom was under control, and we were back at the apartment, another symptom kicked in: She could not control her legs’ movements. Coordination from the waist down was non-existent. She could neither walk nor stand. She also experienced numbness of an arm and double-vision.
We were instructed to see a neurologist who performed an urgent magnetic resonance test. The results revealed more than 20 injuries and indicated a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. That was a life-changing moment because MS is a demyelinating disease that attacks the brain and the spinal cord for no known reason, and as of today, there is no cure.
She began a 4-week treatment with 3-day periods at the hospital, where she was receiving IV steroids to reduce the swelling, heal the injuries, and little by little, try to re-establish her physical faculties. Doctors explained that this would be a life-long treatment necessary for her survival, controlling the disease, and reducing the possibility of new symptoms reappearing and causing permanent harm. Unfortunately, we couldn’t afford to pay for the treatment. She’s currently vulnerable to an attack of her illness at any moment.
After two months, she started to feel some numbness around the neck and shoulders. We returned to the ER and saw another doctor who requested a resonance of the spinal cord. Results revealed new injuries caused by these symptoms, and she again received a strong, long-lasting steroid treatment.
If she does not begin the life-long treatment, there is a risk that new injuries will be caused by these flare-ups (these injuries occur when any “new” symptoms kick in) as we have recently seen it.
We are trying day-to-day to face this disease and struggling to put food on the table and afford a place to live. Due to the pandemic, I have unfortunately been unable to get a full-time job. It is difficult at the age of 53 in my country. The possibility of my wife experiencing a flare-up at any time makes it even harder for her to find employment.
Before the end of the year, she needs to have new resonances to “control” the number of new injuries. Each of which costs around $450 - $500.
There is a chance she needs to have a spinal tap, $2,500 - $3,500.
We must begin the life-long treatment as soon as possible to maintain “control” over the disease and avoid new injuries that occur during new flare-ups. In our country, they use Betaferon (Bayer). These are the treatments we cannot afford now and would like to begin until we can reach 2021.
The solution to a life-long treatment would be a form of social security which is available in El Salvador, and not available until the beginning of 2021— Due to COVID, it is currently beyond capacity.
We are so thankful for any donation you may provide, small or big. We need this urgently to hold us over and start treatment until January where i should be able to get on social security and have access to a more permanent solution. - Francisco Elena and Nancy Elena
Organizer and beneficiary
Pancho Celedon
Organizer
Pompano Beach, FL
Francisco Elena
Beneficiary