Help Ryan Bernal & Family
Donation protected
Ryan was diagnosed with Chronic Late-Stage Lyme Disease in August of 2017 and has been undergoing treatment for 12 months. While there is no way to fully eradicate the bacteria of Lyme disease once it has become chronic, extensive treatment (often lasting years) can help restore an individual back to health. Currently, Ryan experiences both physical and neurological symptoms that are debilitating on a daily basis. Most days Ryan hardly has the energy to get out of bed to care for himself, let alone be present for his wife and child. Our hope for Ryan is to overcome this disease so he can be himself again, enjoy his family, and go back to living a normal life. Unfortunately, all the treatments are extremely expensive and are not covered by insurance. Any donation, large or small, will help immensely. Prayers are much appreciated. Thank you so much for supporting Ryan and helping him on his journey to beat Lyme disease.
LYME DISEASE - WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT?
Lyme disease is an infection caused by an infected deer tick bite. Typically, the disease starts locally where the bite occurred, with a rash and some minor systemic symptoms similar to the flu. If left untreated, this stealthy bacteria can spread throughout the entire body, wreaking havoc on every system, specifically joints, skin, eyes, and brain. The bacteria also dramatically weakens the immune system, making it easier for other co-infections to attack, and decreasing the body's ability to fight off the unwanted invaders. Ryan has only had one tick bite that he can remember, which did not cause any rash or immediate symptoms at the time. However, Ryan is currently afflicted with the Lyme bacteria as well as several co-infections that complicate his overall disease state and prognosis.
RYAN’S STORY ( TOLD BY HIS WIFE, JENNA )
"Shortly after our wedding in January 2011, Ryan began having some minor neurological issues that affected his ability to play guitar, shoot photos, and make films (all passions of his, but also his livelihood). He was seen by a neurologist and diagnosed with essential tremor, for which there is no cure but typically does not progress much until later in life. Over the next several years, Ryan began experiencing constant muscle and joint aches and pains, initially in his back and then progressing to his elbows, knees, and neck. We saw more doctors and had basic labs drawn that always came back clear. We also had x-rays performed, which showed unexplained, severe arthritis so he began faithfully seeing chiropractors and performing recommended exercises at home. Ryan began to accept this daily pain as his new normal, until things began to slowly worsen. He started having numbness in his arms and legs; forgetfulness; and vision issues that never existed before. Ryan also struggled with insomnia some nights (sleeping only a couple hours a night) and overwhelming fatigue other days (difficulty getting out of bed before 10am). Although we had been eating extremely clean for many years, we decided to have a food sensitivity test done so we could tailor our diets according to Ryan's specific needs. After several months, we noticed some minimal improvement, but decided to give it more time. Even with traditional health insurance, we began racking up medical costs through CT scans, laboratory testing, supplements, and chiropractic / physical therapy visits.
After the birth of our beautiful daughter, Ryan's health took a rapid decline. Many of the things that I admired about Ryan as a person began to slowly fade in front of my eyes- his incredible work ethic, his positive outlook on life, his passion for justice and human rights, his joyful personality to be around- he just didn't seem to have the energy for any of those things anymore. We finally found a doctor who didn't stop even after the initial blood work came back normal (again). We finally got some answers when Ryan's blood testing revealed advanced, chronic Lyme disease, as well as several other co-infections. Over the next few months, he began a rigorous treatment of antibiotics, anti-fungals, and physician-prescribed supplements. Fortunately, at this point, a part of Christian health sharing company that was helping with almost all of the expenses. However, by Christmas of 2017, Ryan had lost 25 pounds and was barely able to walk short distances. His thoughts and memory became even more disjointed, and he reached an all-time low emotionally-- constantly wondering if this was the best he would ever feel, or if he would be able to pick up his daughter for much longer. That same week, we found out that we had met our maximum coverage for supplements and prescriptions and would have to start paying nearly $5,000 / month out of pocket. We decided to stop the intense back-to-back antibiotics and re-evaluate. With the help of two wonderful physicians, a new treatment plan was formulated.
Since then, the focus of treatment has been on building his immune system and gut health so that his body can fight off and detoxify from all the dying bacteria. Over the last 6 months, Ryan has been going to the doctor several times weekly for several hours at a time to receive IV therapies and other biological treatments. Today, Ryan is taking supplements that consist of approximately 40 pills a day, all timed out perfectly to avoid counteracting each other.
He spends hours a day at various clinics, and then comes home to perform in-home detoxification therapies. Thankfully, our health sharing company has agreed to share one year's worth of IV treatments, and will continue to cover testing and consultations with physicians. However, the rest of the expenses are all out of pocket.
We have been so fortunate to have family and friends rally around us during this difficult time. We have felt so much love and support and have been blown away by people's selfless actions and generosity. However, even with all the things we have to be grateful for, we continue to watch our bank accounts drain-- we simply cannot keep up with all the expenses."
HOW CAN WE HELP THEM?
Ryan and Jenna made the difficult decision to move back to Arizona in April to be near their family for additional support. They are currently living with Jenna's parents so they can avoid going into debt from all of the medical expenses. Because of their compounding expenses, combined with the fact that Ryan has very little time and/or energy to focus on his career, I put together this page and fund to alleviate some of the burden they are currently facing. I hope that, with a little extra help from family and friends, that Ryan can focus on healing by receiving the proper treatment without worrying about the medical costs in the present and future.
COST BREAKDOWN:
Combatting this infection is a long & expensive process. We’ve detailed the expenses below so you can see how your money will be put to use. As you can see, we will be spending at least $72,000 in medical costs in just one year, and easily up to $107,000.
Current Recurring Monthly Expenses
$1,200
Medicine / Supplements
$4,800
Treatments / Therapies
(Tissue rebuilding IVs, immune IV’s, regenerative injections in joints, lymphatic drainage therapy, electron therapy, oxygen therapy, autonomic Nervous System therapy, major auto-hemotherapy, physical therapy, and chiropractic.)
-------
$72,000
One Year Total
Future Expenses
Highly recommended by his physicians for best prognosis
$15,000
Pulsed Electro Magnetic Frequency (PEMF) Contact Device
PEMFs work to: Reduce pain, inflammation, the effects of stress on the body, platelet adhesion, improve energy, circulation, blood and tissue oxygenation, sleep quality, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, the uptake of nutrients, cellular detoxification and the ability to regenerate cells, balance the immune system and stimulate RNA and DNA,and accelerate repair of bone and soft tissue.
Ozone Generator
Ozone has benefits that include: stimulating the production of white blood cells, stimulating the production of Tumor necrosis factor, it kills bacteria fungi, mold, and viruses, makes red blood cells more elastic and flexible, improves mitochondrial function and efficiency, increases ATP production, up regulates hundreds of antioxidant response elements and dramatically increases the effectiveness of the immune system.
$20,000
Two week in-patient intensive treatment at an international clinic for Lyme Specific Whole-body hyperthermia.
More Info:
https://www.prohealth.com/library/how-i-discovered-hyperthermia-for-lyme-disease-and-why-it-works-41295
-------
$107,000
One Year Total
LYME DISEASE - WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT?
Lyme disease is an infection caused by an infected deer tick bite. Typically, the disease starts locally where the bite occurred, with a rash and some minor systemic symptoms similar to the flu. If left untreated, this stealthy bacteria can spread throughout the entire body, wreaking havoc on every system, specifically joints, skin, eyes, and brain. The bacteria also dramatically weakens the immune system, making it easier for other co-infections to attack, and decreasing the body's ability to fight off the unwanted invaders. Ryan has only had one tick bite that he can remember, which did not cause any rash or immediate symptoms at the time. However, Ryan is currently afflicted with the Lyme bacteria as well as several co-infections that complicate his overall disease state and prognosis.
RYAN’S STORY ( TOLD BY HIS WIFE, JENNA )
"Shortly after our wedding in January 2011, Ryan began having some minor neurological issues that affected his ability to play guitar, shoot photos, and make films (all passions of his, but also his livelihood). He was seen by a neurologist and diagnosed with essential tremor, for which there is no cure but typically does not progress much until later in life. Over the next several years, Ryan began experiencing constant muscle and joint aches and pains, initially in his back and then progressing to his elbows, knees, and neck. We saw more doctors and had basic labs drawn that always came back clear. We also had x-rays performed, which showed unexplained, severe arthritis so he began faithfully seeing chiropractors and performing recommended exercises at home. Ryan began to accept this daily pain as his new normal, until things began to slowly worsen. He started having numbness in his arms and legs; forgetfulness; and vision issues that never existed before. Ryan also struggled with insomnia some nights (sleeping only a couple hours a night) and overwhelming fatigue other days (difficulty getting out of bed before 10am). Although we had been eating extremely clean for many years, we decided to have a food sensitivity test done so we could tailor our diets according to Ryan's specific needs. After several months, we noticed some minimal improvement, but decided to give it more time. Even with traditional health insurance, we began racking up medical costs through CT scans, laboratory testing, supplements, and chiropractic / physical therapy visits.
After the birth of our beautiful daughter, Ryan's health took a rapid decline. Many of the things that I admired about Ryan as a person began to slowly fade in front of my eyes- his incredible work ethic, his positive outlook on life, his passion for justice and human rights, his joyful personality to be around- he just didn't seem to have the energy for any of those things anymore. We finally found a doctor who didn't stop even after the initial blood work came back normal (again). We finally got some answers when Ryan's blood testing revealed advanced, chronic Lyme disease, as well as several other co-infections. Over the next few months, he began a rigorous treatment of antibiotics, anti-fungals, and physician-prescribed supplements. Fortunately, at this point, a part of Christian health sharing company that was helping with almost all of the expenses. However, by Christmas of 2017, Ryan had lost 25 pounds and was barely able to walk short distances. His thoughts and memory became even more disjointed, and he reached an all-time low emotionally-- constantly wondering if this was the best he would ever feel, or if he would be able to pick up his daughter for much longer. That same week, we found out that we had met our maximum coverage for supplements and prescriptions and would have to start paying nearly $5,000 / month out of pocket. We decided to stop the intense back-to-back antibiotics and re-evaluate. With the help of two wonderful physicians, a new treatment plan was formulated.
Since then, the focus of treatment has been on building his immune system and gut health so that his body can fight off and detoxify from all the dying bacteria. Over the last 6 months, Ryan has been going to the doctor several times weekly for several hours at a time to receive IV therapies and other biological treatments. Today, Ryan is taking supplements that consist of approximately 40 pills a day, all timed out perfectly to avoid counteracting each other.
He spends hours a day at various clinics, and then comes home to perform in-home detoxification therapies. Thankfully, our health sharing company has agreed to share one year's worth of IV treatments, and will continue to cover testing and consultations with physicians. However, the rest of the expenses are all out of pocket.
We have been so fortunate to have family and friends rally around us during this difficult time. We have felt so much love and support and have been blown away by people's selfless actions and generosity. However, even with all the things we have to be grateful for, we continue to watch our bank accounts drain-- we simply cannot keep up with all the expenses."
HOW CAN WE HELP THEM?
Ryan and Jenna made the difficult decision to move back to Arizona in April to be near their family for additional support. They are currently living with Jenna's parents so they can avoid going into debt from all of the medical expenses. Because of their compounding expenses, combined with the fact that Ryan has very little time and/or energy to focus on his career, I put together this page and fund to alleviate some of the burden they are currently facing. I hope that, with a little extra help from family and friends, that Ryan can focus on healing by receiving the proper treatment without worrying about the medical costs in the present and future.
COST BREAKDOWN:
Combatting this infection is a long & expensive process. We’ve detailed the expenses below so you can see how your money will be put to use. As you can see, we will be spending at least $72,000 in medical costs in just one year, and easily up to $107,000.
Current Recurring Monthly Expenses
$1,200
Medicine / Supplements
$4,800
Treatments / Therapies
(Tissue rebuilding IVs, immune IV’s, regenerative injections in joints, lymphatic drainage therapy, electron therapy, oxygen therapy, autonomic Nervous System therapy, major auto-hemotherapy, physical therapy, and chiropractic.)
-------
$72,000
One Year Total
Future Expenses
Highly recommended by his physicians for best prognosis
$15,000
Pulsed Electro Magnetic Frequency (PEMF) Contact Device
PEMFs work to: Reduce pain, inflammation, the effects of stress on the body, platelet adhesion, improve energy, circulation, blood and tissue oxygenation, sleep quality, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, the uptake of nutrients, cellular detoxification and the ability to regenerate cells, balance the immune system and stimulate RNA and DNA,and accelerate repair of bone and soft tissue.
Ozone Generator
Ozone has benefits that include: stimulating the production of white blood cells, stimulating the production of Tumor necrosis factor, it kills bacteria fungi, mold, and viruses, makes red blood cells more elastic and flexible, improves mitochondrial function and efficiency, increases ATP production, up regulates hundreds of antioxidant response elements and dramatically increases the effectiveness of the immune system.
$20,000
Two week in-patient intensive treatment at an international clinic for Lyme Specific Whole-body hyperthermia.
More Info:
https://www.prohealth.com/library/how-i-discovered-hyperthermia-for-lyme-disease-and-why-it-works-41295
-------
$107,000
One Year Total
Organizer and beneficiary
Austin Gros
Organizer
Nashville, TN
Jenna Bernal
Beneficiary