Online fundraiser to support Steve and Shar Meyer
Donation protected
Steve and Sharlotte Meyer and their two boys, Joseph and Liam, are residents of Fergus Falls and regular attenders of Bethel Lutheran Church.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Steve and Shar have been struggling for over 10 years of their marriage to maintain a "normal" existence for their family.
About ten years ago, Shar suffered medical complications that caused her to hemorrhage and lose a significant amount of blood. It was at that time that she developed Dysautonomia. Her Dysautonomia includes low blood volume, blood-pooling POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) with hyperadrenergic activity. Practically, this autonomic dysfunction of the nervous system presents as difficulty with positional changes (volatile heart rate and blood pressure, especially while upright or exercising), exaggerated adrenaline surges (which create sensory processing difficulties, impacting visual and auditory processing, comprehension, divided attention and startle response). The adrenaline/sensory piece makes it very difficult to tolerate normal everyday noises such as a mower outside, someone preparing a meal in the kitchen or a sudden knock on the door. Trying to avoid these triggers leads to environmental isolation. Shar also chronically suffers fatigue, nausea, vertigo/spatial disorientation, migraines, difficulties regulating temperature and breathing, etc. Also at play is Mast Cell Activation Disorder (chemical sensitivities, flushing, exercise intolerance, etc).
All of these changes in Shar occurred overnight, and their lives were changed permanently.
Eventually, Steve was unable to manage the stress associated with working for a high tech company assisting customers in mission critical situations as well as taking care of Shar and the two boys. He was experiencing debilitating mental health challenges, and he and Shar realized that he must resign from his job.
Since then, they have struggled through a lack of housing, an adjacent house fire damaging the home they did eventually secure and now living in a small apartment which cannot meet their needs.
With Shar's multiple conditions, she requires a quiet space to decrease the overall sensory input; a more controllable environment. She also needs special medical equipment and round the clock care. Her care team has difficulty doing their job for lack of space in their current apartment. Steve suffers from arthritis and significant mental health difficulties that make it very difficult for him to concentrate and retain information. They both want a safe space where they can be a family with their boys. They also wish for Steve to be able to continue obtaining treatments to help him function nearer the level that he did previously.
They were able to locate and purchase a home that has the potential to be everything they need. However, the home needs work. Sound-proofing insulation, doors and windows, reconfiguring space throughout, creating a quiet space for Shar to be with her family and to access her medical equipment, as well as creating a staff entrance for her care providers to reduce noise/stimulation are among the work that must be done. These renovations would also allow Joey and Liam freedom to play without concern about the noise/activity level. Lastly, it was discovered that the electrical needs to be redone throughout the home so that it is up to code, another major expense.
Steve wants to work, and hopes to improve his mental health to the state where he can go through treatments and counseling. But right now, they are stuck. The Meyers are a generous family, giving so much to others though they have their own struggles. The hope in raising this money is that they would not have to worry about their home and finances so that they can focus on their health and take joy in their children without the immense stress that they are currently under.
The couple also welcome donations that are not monetary in nature. If any area businesses would like to donate materials for the home, the following are needed:
Kitchen Cabinets, countertops and quiet exhaust fan
Interior doors, solid core and exterior doors
Exterior sliding glass door
Insulated garage door
Roxul insulation - provides sound reduction for Shar's environment; mold resistant
French doors/glass between living room and kitchen (sound reduction for Shar)
Bathroom exhaust fans, less than 1 sones (quietest possible)
Ceiling fans
Bathroom Fixtures
Blown Attic Insulation
Sheetrock, Tape, Mud
Tongue and Groove Knotty Pine (including scratch and dent)
In-floor heating supplies
Air Exchanger
Sub-flooring
Closet doors
Cement block
Concrete Mix
Sound proof/reducing glass (on its own, in window or door, etc) - Can be double paned glass with 2 different thicknesses or actual soundproof glass
Due to unforeseen circumstances, Steve and Shar have been struggling for over 10 years of their marriage to maintain a "normal" existence for their family.
About ten years ago, Shar suffered medical complications that caused her to hemorrhage and lose a significant amount of blood. It was at that time that she developed Dysautonomia. Her Dysautonomia includes low blood volume, blood-pooling POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) with hyperadrenergic activity. Practically, this autonomic dysfunction of the nervous system presents as difficulty with positional changes (volatile heart rate and blood pressure, especially while upright or exercising), exaggerated adrenaline surges (which create sensory processing difficulties, impacting visual and auditory processing, comprehension, divided attention and startle response). The adrenaline/sensory piece makes it very difficult to tolerate normal everyday noises such as a mower outside, someone preparing a meal in the kitchen or a sudden knock on the door. Trying to avoid these triggers leads to environmental isolation. Shar also chronically suffers fatigue, nausea, vertigo/spatial disorientation, migraines, difficulties regulating temperature and breathing, etc. Also at play is Mast Cell Activation Disorder (chemical sensitivities, flushing, exercise intolerance, etc).
All of these changes in Shar occurred overnight, and their lives were changed permanently.
Eventually, Steve was unable to manage the stress associated with working for a high tech company assisting customers in mission critical situations as well as taking care of Shar and the two boys. He was experiencing debilitating mental health challenges, and he and Shar realized that he must resign from his job.
Since then, they have struggled through a lack of housing, an adjacent house fire damaging the home they did eventually secure and now living in a small apartment which cannot meet their needs.
With Shar's multiple conditions, she requires a quiet space to decrease the overall sensory input; a more controllable environment. She also needs special medical equipment and round the clock care. Her care team has difficulty doing their job for lack of space in their current apartment. Steve suffers from arthritis and significant mental health difficulties that make it very difficult for him to concentrate and retain information. They both want a safe space where they can be a family with their boys. They also wish for Steve to be able to continue obtaining treatments to help him function nearer the level that he did previously.
They were able to locate and purchase a home that has the potential to be everything they need. However, the home needs work. Sound-proofing insulation, doors and windows, reconfiguring space throughout, creating a quiet space for Shar to be with her family and to access her medical equipment, as well as creating a staff entrance for her care providers to reduce noise/stimulation are among the work that must be done. These renovations would also allow Joey and Liam freedom to play without concern about the noise/activity level. Lastly, it was discovered that the electrical needs to be redone throughout the home so that it is up to code, another major expense.
Steve wants to work, and hopes to improve his mental health to the state where he can go through treatments and counseling. But right now, they are stuck. The Meyers are a generous family, giving so much to others though they have their own struggles. The hope in raising this money is that they would not have to worry about their home and finances so that they can focus on their health and take joy in their children without the immense stress that they are currently under.
The couple also welcome donations that are not monetary in nature. If any area businesses would like to donate materials for the home, the following are needed:
Kitchen Cabinets, countertops and quiet exhaust fan
Interior doors, solid core and exterior doors
Exterior sliding glass door
Insulated garage door
Roxul insulation - provides sound reduction for Shar's environment; mold resistant
French doors/glass between living room and kitchen (sound reduction for Shar)
Bathroom exhaust fans, less than 1 sones (quietest possible)
Ceiling fans
Bathroom Fixtures
Blown Attic Insulation
Sheetrock, Tape, Mud
Tongue and Groove Knotty Pine (including scratch and dent)
In-floor heating supplies
Air Exchanger
Sub-flooring
Closet doors
Cement block
Concrete Mix
Sound proof/reducing glass (on its own, in window or door, etc) - Can be double paned glass with 2 different thicknesses or actual soundproof glass
Organizer and beneficiary
Amber Simonson
Organizer
Fergus Falls, MN
Steve Meyer
Beneficiary