Relief for Heather Burris

Hi. My name is Lauren Caruso and I live in a burb right outside of Chicago. I created this fund for my dear friend Heather who's story is both inspiring and also very heartbreaking. She has a ton of medical expenses and so I'm hoping we can help raise some money to offer her and her family some relief. Any little bit helps. If you don't have any extra money to spend, please drop Heather a love note on FB (Heather Carrjngton Burris) or via this page.

I asked her to share with me a bit more about her battle with Lupus and this is from Heather directly:
Almost two years ago, at this same time I started to get what looked likes hives on my feet and hands. I went to the Dr. over and over and was given different types of medicine (antibiotics, antivirals, creams, etc.), but nothing was working. One day at school, and even though I would wear bandaids on my fingers to hide the painful bumps that kept coming and going, I noticed my fingers were all completely purple. Our school nurse told me that I need to go see my Dr. So, off I went again. Now they were saying I had something called Raynaud's. I would learn later that it is often associated with Lupus. Finally, I was referred to a Rheumatologist. I had been taking pictures of all the strange things going on with my body (the purple and white fingers and toes, my ankles swelling to twice their size, and other various things so I could show the dr.), and along with several different of tests, I ultimately got a diagnosis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. I read everything I could find about it. Basically, when you get sick your immune system teams up to try and get rid of these germ invaders that are trying to make you sick. With SLE, my immune system went haywire. My body can no longer tell the difference between a good cell and a bad/germ cell. Essentially, my own body is trying to kill me, by attacking my organs. Once, we had a diagnosis, then it was time to figure out how to handle it. It was trial and error with some of the medications. Some would make me so sick and others we had to fight with the insurance company to pay. Today, I take anywhere from 16-20 or so pills a day and do chemo once a week. I 've lost weight, I've lost hair, and last night I lost part of my tooth, I basically lost my life. It's hard to do things I normally would've done. Each day, I feel as though I have been hit by a Mac Truck. I'm always so tired, I feel like I'm living in the body of a 90 year old, I have nosebleeds almost daily, more when I get upset or stressed out, I get sores in my mouth making it hard to eat. I get sick whenever I eat. I go to the dr. every few months for blood work and to check on my meds. One can cause problems with your retinas, others are to combat the effects of some of the other medicines. The problem with Lupus that I have learned, is that it effects everyone differently. So, even if two people have it, they won't necessarily share the same symptoms. I am a teacher for Special Needs kids and absolutely love what I do. I have never quit working once since I was diagnosed. I couldn't even begin to think what I would do if I wasn't able to work anymore. My students are like my own kids and I want nothing, but the best for them. I also have a 13 year old son and a husband. I feel like I have cheated them out of a good life. Plans always seem to revolve around me and how I am feeling, or how many prescriptions we had to pick up this week, or if I had to go the dr or hospital. Right before Christmas, I got dizzy and fell and had to have stitches above my eye. Everyday is a struggle and fight, I wish this on no one.
Heather Carrington Burris