Paige’s Recovery Fund
Donation protected
To our family, friends, and supporters -
Thank you so much for the kindness and love you have shown our family over the years. We are so very grateful to have you in our lives.
As some of you know, Paige has been battling Lyme Disease and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) since 2011. She first started having serious symptoms when she was a a sophomore in high school.
Paige’s health has taken a downturn in the last few months, and on some days she can barely get out of bed. Luckily, she recently got in to a renowned medical clinic in the Bay Area that specializes in state-of-the-art testing and individualized treatment of complex chronic illnesses.
She’s feeling hopeful and we are too!
We’re launching this GoFundMe to help with the costs of a her treatment plan over the next six months. The vast majority of medical expenses for Lyme Disease and M.E. are not covered by insurance, but we know that with your help we can get Paige the care she needs.
How did this all happen?
Paige was 15 years old when she first got sick.
It seemed to be a particularly bad flu. She was delirious from fever and in pain for days. She'd always been an energetic and athletic kid, so her neurological symptoms were especially alarming—all of a sudden she couldn’t control her limbs or walk.
When the fever subsided, some symptoms didn't go away. She still slept at all hours of the day for nearly a month. She had terrible headaches. Some days she could hardly form thoughts or speak. Her doctor ran all sorts of tests but was dumbfounded.
Years later, we would discover that this is a common origin story for people with late stage chronic Lyme Disease and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). At the time it was just a huge mystery.
The persistent fatigue, headaches, and neurological symptoms followed Paige throughout the rest of high school. She was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2012 and immediately underwent intense antibiotic treatment, which did slowly seem to help. The side effects were difficult, but Paige was able to graduate and head off to her dream college — Washington University in St. Louis.
She made a wonderful group of friends at Wash U and started working towards a degree in linguistics.
She was still limited by her symptoms, but for a time they were manageable.
Paige had to stop out of college near the end of her second year. She was getting sicker again, and on most days she was really ill. It became impossible to continue.
Since being home, she's gotten a part-time job at a local coffee shop and has focused on resting and healing (and making really beautiful art!). But in recent months, Paige’s health has declined significantly.
The here and now
Paige has managed to keep her sense of humor through all the ups and downs of this experience. She’s a loving sister, daughter, and friend. Her illness doesn't mean that she's not the same witty, whip-smart, artsy person we adore.
But she does struggle every day.
Her doctors say that what we're seeing right now is mitochondrial failure - on a cellular level, her body isn’t producing the energy it needs to function. This will get worse without treatment.
Mitochondrial failure is causing a cascade of issues. Paige's weight has dropped to 96 pounds. On most days she experiences severe fatigue, joint pain, arrhythmia, brain fog, nausea, difficulty eating, and sensitivity to light and sound.
Working even one shift a week has become a hurdle. When she does go to work, she usually has to spend the whole next day or two in bed with the lights off and the windows covered.
How you can help
Your support will fund six months of intensive treatment towards Paige’s health and recovery. Again, we are so very grateful for your help, and for any amount you can give, big or small.
We know a goal of $20,000 is a lot. But we thought it wouldn't hurt to be honest about the expected costs of this treatment. We hope that no one feels pressured to give, and if you do give, please only give what is comfortable and makes sense for you! If the most helpful thing you can offer right now is to share this page with other people who might care and are able to give, that's great too!
Here's how we got to $20,000: Initial lab test fees and appointments with her primary doctor total $7,115. After that, it will cost approximately $12,810 to cover six months of medications, supplements, follow-up-testing fees, a $3,600 treatment program with a team that specializes in ME/CFS, and appointments with medical practitioners in diet and alternative healing modalities like acupuncture.
If you’re interested in learning more, we recommend watching and sharing ‘Unrest’ - an excellent documentary film about by a woman with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis that features the stories of many people with ME/CFS:
https://www.netflix.com/title/80168300
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/unrest_2017/
A Heartfelt Thank You
From our family to yours, many thanks for helping Paige through this difficult time, and helping to fund funding her path to recovery!
Love,
Angie, Andy, Bethany, and Paige
Thank you so much for the kindness and love you have shown our family over the years. We are so very grateful to have you in our lives.
As some of you know, Paige has been battling Lyme Disease and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) since 2011. She first started having serious symptoms when she was a a sophomore in high school.
Paige’s health has taken a downturn in the last few months, and on some days she can barely get out of bed. Luckily, she recently got in to a renowned medical clinic in the Bay Area that specializes in state-of-the-art testing and individualized treatment of complex chronic illnesses.
She’s feeling hopeful and we are too!
We’re launching this GoFundMe to help with the costs of a her treatment plan over the next six months. The vast majority of medical expenses for Lyme Disease and M.E. are not covered by insurance, but we know that with your help we can get Paige the care she needs.
How did this all happen?
Paige was 15 years old when she first got sick.
It seemed to be a particularly bad flu. She was delirious from fever and in pain for days. She'd always been an energetic and athletic kid, so her neurological symptoms were especially alarming—all of a sudden she couldn’t control her limbs or walk.
When the fever subsided, some symptoms didn't go away. She still slept at all hours of the day for nearly a month. She had terrible headaches. Some days she could hardly form thoughts or speak. Her doctor ran all sorts of tests but was dumbfounded.
Years later, we would discover that this is a common origin story for people with late stage chronic Lyme Disease and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). At the time it was just a huge mystery.
The persistent fatigue, headaches, and neurological symptoms followed Paige throughout the rest of high school. She was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 2012 and immediately underwent intense antibiotic treatment, which did slowly seem to help. The side effects were difficult, but Paige was able to graduate and head off to her dream college — Washington University in St. Louis.
She made a wonderful group of friends at Wash U and started working towards a degree in linguistics.
She was still limited by her symptoms, but for a time they were manageable.
Paige had to stop out of college near the end of her second year. She was getting sicker again, and on most days she was really ill. It became impossible to continue.
Since being home, she's gotten a part-time job at a local coffee shop and has focused on resting and healing (and making really beautiful art!). But in recent months, Paige’s health has declined significantly.
The here and now
Paige has managed to keep her sense of humor through all the ups and downs of this experience. She’s a loving sister, daughter, and friend. Her illness doesn't mean that she's not the same witty, whip-smart, artsy person we adore.
But she does struggle every day.
Her doctors say that what we're seeing right now is mitochondrial failure - on a cellular level, her body isn’t producing the energy it needs to function. This will get worse without treatment.
Mitochondrial failure is causing a cascade of issues. Paige's weight has dropped to 96 pounds. On most days she experiences severe fatigue, joint pain, arrhythmia, brain fog, nausea, difficulty eating, and sensitivity to light and sound.
Working even one shift a week has become a hurdle. When she does go to work, she usually has to spend the whole next day or two in bed with the lights off and the windows covered.
How you can help
Your support will fund six months of intensive treatment towards Paige’s health and recovery. Again, we are so very grateful for your help, and for any amount you can give, big or small.
We know a goal of $20,000 is a lot. But we thought it wouldn't hurt to be honest about the expected costs of this treatment. We hope that no one feels pressured to give, and if you do give, please only give what is comfortable and makes sense for you! If the most helpful thing you can offer right now is to share this page with other people who might care and are able to give, that's great too!
Here's how we got to $20,000: Initial lab test fees and appointments with her primary doctor total $7,115. After that, it will cost approximately $12,810 to cover six months of medications, supplements, follow-up-testing fees, a $3,600 treatment program with a team that specializes in ME/CFS, and appointments with medical practitioners in diet and alternative healing modalities like acupuncture.
If you’re interested in learning more, we recommend watching and sharing ‘Unrest’ - an excellent documentary film about by a woman with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis that features the stories of many people with ME/CFS:
https://www.netflix.com/title/80168300
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/unrest_2017/
A Heartfelt Thank You
From our family to yours, many thanks for helping Paige through this difficult time, and helping to fund funding her path to recovery!
Love,
Angie, Andy, Bethany, and Paige
Co-organizers (4)
Bethany Woolman
Organizer
Albany, CA
Paige Woolman
Beneficiary
Angie Woolman
Co-organizer
Woolman Architecture
Co-organizer