Help Shy Stay Medicated and Access Healthcare

Hi, I’m Gretchen and I’m writing here on behalf of my dear friend Shy Custis. For over a decade Shy has been battling treatment-resistant depression along with a still-developing list of autoimmune disorders including Hashimoto’s, AGHD, and several unknown conditions for which she’s still undergoing testing. Expensive and inadequate insurance coverage and years of failed treatments, testing, and medication costs — including a crushing $900 dollars a month for her AGHD meds, which due to price alone she’s spent as much time off as on — have taken a toll and left Shy with over $6000 in medical debt. In addition, her beloved cat Padou has been diagnosed with mammary tumors which must be surgically removed as soon as possible to prevent metastization.

Shy has been an incredibly generous and loving friend to me in the years I’ve known her, never hesitating to give her time, her emotional support, or her beautiful baked goods whenever I’ve had a rough day. She’s a gentle, insightful, and caring woman with astonishing artistic talent, and she’s been unfairly burdened by medical and financial struggle. Our goal is to raise $12k to cover Padou’s surgery, pay off Shy’s medical debt, and provide for her continued testing for Cushing’s syndrome, which has so far been extremely expensive — over $2500 this year alone.

Our medical system is broken, and so I have to ask you, hat in hand, if you’ll please dig deep and help my friend get the care she needs. Please.

Thank you for your time and for your generosity,

Gretchen Felker-Martin