Please Help Support Keisha's Recovery

Hello everyone, my name is Julie and I originally met Natasa and Keisha when Natasa worked for me at Hank's Saloon for many years. As you'll read below, Keisha has been seriously ill and they both need our help desperately. Thank you in advance for reading this through in its entirety, and hopefully being able to contribute whatever you can to support them. This is an urgent situation.

I also have to preface this with the fact that both Natasa and Keisha are extremely strong, proud, independent human beings and that reaching out for help and support is not something that comes easily to them. In fact, arms had to be twisted to get permission to be able to send this out to all of you. They are our chosen family and we are here to help.

As some of you may know, Natasa’s wife Keisha was diagnosed with Covid-19 in March of 2020. She had been extremely sick throughout the year, but had been slowly recovering from Long Covid symptoms. Unfortunately in early April 2021 she suffered a major relapse and had reactivation of Epstein Barr Virus. In the past three months Keisha has become bed bound, she is unable to walk and has had two major hospital stays. Her condition has escalated so quickly that she is currently having daily non-eptileptic seizures and this has meant that Natasa has become her full time caretaker, unable to leave Keisha alone and unsupervised.

Keisha has since been diagnosed with a rare condition called FND (Functional Neurological Disorder), together with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis). The most common symptoms are debilitating and include post-exertional malaise, profound fatigue, autonomical and neurological dysfunction, and motor and sensory dysfunction. Although there are resources and information available in other countries such as the UK, Australia and the Netherlands, there’s not a whole lot available yet in the U.S. Since therapists here in the States still don’t have a grasp on this condition, Natasa has been researching private treatments as well as exploring alternative methods to help Keisha in her recovery.

This has been a truly difficult time for both of them physically, emotionally and especially financially. On top of everything else, they’ve recently had to move apartments due to mold and other conditions at their old place that were contributing to Keisha’s state of unwellness.

The main things that donations to this GoFundMe will go towards, are the specialized private physiotherapy so that Keisha can walk again, acupuncture treatments for her neurological system’s recovery and private home care help. They have exhausted the minimal home care provided by their health insurance and although they have applied for Long Term home care it takes months to be approved (if they are even accepted) and they need the help now.

This is a complex chronic condition that requires a long time to recover from once it’s become as severe as it has. The longer it stays untreated, the harder it will be to return to a life of normalcy. Because the cost of medical care is so high, this GoFundme will help immensely. Every cent raised will go directly to them to help with the expected and unexpected costs involved with Keisha’s care while they try to navigate this unfortunate health crisis. Thank you so much for donating whatever amount you can. It will be extremely helpful and very much appreciated.