Save Olivia Grace’s kidney— an endometriosis story
Donation protected
****UPDATE 11/15/2023
Thank you to everyone who donated and shared. You seriously saved my life. I was on the brink of homelessness and got fired from my job because I ended up in the ER too many times. I was giving tours on the trolley at the Americana with a bag of pee strapped to my leg. It was actually kind of awesome.
I had an endo surgery scheduled for May of 2023 but I backed out of it. I was in a lot of emotional distress. My mental health collapsed and I was not ready for surgery and wanted some normalcy in my life after having a nephrostomy for four months.
I’m waiting for a test to come back right now that will tell me whether or not I am a good candidate for surgery and looking at possibly getting surgery early next year. I was diagnosed a few weeks ago with a genetic connective tissue disease that might affect my vascular system and could make me an unsafe patient to operate on. We’ll see what it says. I’m just grateful to finally have answers.
Grateful to be alive right now— still cannot believe how much help I got from everybody who shared and donated. I didn’t believe it was possible to get help and I still kind of can’t believe it. Thank you everybody for giving me the resources to access healthcare after many many years in pain and a bunch of terrifying trips to the hospital.
Thank you!!!
Olivia
**********
**Thank you for reading, donating and sharing! I am incredibly grateful for every single one of my supporters, from people I’ve met on the road to folks who’ve heard or seen me on the airwaves and follow me on social media. I’m lucky to have many cool friends and fans around the world, our interactions mean a lot to me, and I look forward to meeting you and / or seeing you again on the other side of this.**
***UPDATE - 2/17/2023
Hey everybody. The tube implanted in my kidney is doing it’s job. My MRI showed evidence of endometriosis which is huge and my team believes I need surgery. However, because the tube is working, surgery can wait until I have my life a little more together.
I appreciate all the help so much. Since posting I’ve gotten a huge amount of support that’s allowed me to slow way down and make important decisions about the direction of my life and medical care. Thank you.
****UPDATE - 1/31/2023 I’ve been so scared lately it’s been hard to even believe this can get better, but the support I’ve gotten since reaching out and posting this has blown my mind. Thank you so much for your generosity and encouragement. The world feels so scary sometimes but there are too many good people out there to count and you have made all the difference. I cannot wait to get better so that I can start getting back on stage and performing again. This has give me more strength and compassion than I can imagine and I am really proud of what I managed to accomplish in the last year and finally putting together a team of great doctors!
End update*******
Hi everyone, Olivia Grace here— crowdfunding while my doctors appointments and symptoms keep me unable to work and perform. Here’s a quick summary of my wild experience with the American Medical System and thank you for reading, donating and sharing!!
Starting in 2016 I began complaining of pelvic pain to what ended up being dozens of doctors. I was offered diets, anxiety relief, and birth control pills… nothing worked.
I continued to bother doctors about this increasing pain throughout my 20’s and was tested for everything... but nobody took me seriously until they found an early stage of appendix cancer!
That doctor said they caught it so early that if I have ongoing symptoms, it must be endometriosis.
Luckily my PET scan showed no disease as of 11/2022 and thankfully, I found an amazing oncologist who listens to my symptoms and will screen me for the rest of my life!
But I still have issues!! In January of 2023, my L kidney stopped draining properly and I had a nephrostomy tube placed to keep it going.
The tube is buying that kidney time for a surgeon to plan, image, study, and eventually remove the blockage and biopsy it to be sure of what it is. My surgeon is amazing and also even very handsome but don’t tell him that because I don’t want to make him uncomfortable.
Anyways, my doctors all now think I have endometriosis, a common, non-cancer, and deeply misunderstood gynecologic disease that causes bleeding lesions to form on organs throughout the body.
If you saw me on Comedy Central the day after I tore my knee open and got 40 stitches, you know I can totally make fun of a guy while in a lot of physical pain before I even complain. This is excruciating!
Endometriosis surgeons are difficult to see— there is no insurance code for the diagnostic / treatment surgery AT ALL— therefore, they operate outside networks and their fees are thousands of dollars.
Some doctors shrugged off my symptoms but being annoyingly thorough actually may have saved my life!
I am finally in touch with the appropriate surgeons and have consults scheduled for February.
Now I just need your help to make it through the next few months.
Here are the ways in which I will be taking care of myself with the funds you graciously donate toward my healing journey: - Rent, food, gas while I spend the next few months consulting with surgeons over zoom, and get all the tests and imaging they and my current doctors want. I also need to move to the West Side of LA to be closer to my current hospital. - Paying copays and keeping my PPO plan so I don’t lose my doctors - Cash-on-hand for surgeons’ fees and travel costs if the surgeon is out-of-state Thank you for your help. This is the most frightening thing I have ever been through, and I have seen some shit. Please help me finish my journey to health again by donating and sharing. Thank you!!!
**** PS
if you know anyone who’s struggled with endometriosis and found a surgeon who helped them, please contact me thru social media.
There are so few knowledgeable doctors out there regarding this illness and I would benefit a great deal from even a consult with any surgeon who has enough endometriosis experience to have seen patients with a history of NET’s.
Thank you!! ************
Thank you to everyone who donated and shared. You seriously saved my life. I was on the brink of homelessness and got fired from my job because I ended up in the ER too many times. I was giving tours on the trolley at the Americana with a bag of pee strapped to my leg. It was actually kind of awesome.
I had an endo surgery scheduled for May of 2023 but I backed out of it. I was in a lot of emotional distress. My mental health collapsed and I was not ready for surgery and wanted some normalcy in my life after having a nephrostomy for four months.
I’m waiting for a test to come back right now that will tell me whether or not I am a good candidate for surgery and looking at possibly getting surgery early next year. I was diagnosed a few weeks ago with a genetic connective tissue disease that might affect my vascular system and could make me an unsafe patient to operate on. We’ll see what it says. I’m just grateful to finally have answers.
Grateful to be alive right now— still cannot believe how much help I got from everybody who shared and donated. I didn’t believe it was possible to get help and I still kind of can’t believe it. Thank you everybody for giving me the resources to access healthcare after many many years in pain and a bunch of terrifying trips to the hospital.
Thank you!!!
Olivia
**********
**Thank you for reading, donating and sharing! I am incredibly grateful for every single one of my supporters, from people I’ve met on the road to folks who’ve heard or seen me on the airwaves and follow me on social media. I’m lucky to have many cool friends and fans around the world, our interactions mean a lot to me, and I look forward to meeting you and / or seeing you again on the other side of this.**
***UPDATE - 2/17/2023
Hey everybody. The tube implanted in my kidney is doing it’s job. My MRI showed evidence of endometriosis which is huge and my team believes I need surgery. However, because the tube is working, surgery can wait until I have my life a little more together.
I appreciate all the help so much. Since posting I’ve gotten a huge amount of support that’s allowed me to slow way down and make important decisions about the direction of my life and medical care. Thank you.
****UPDATE - 1/31/2023 I’ve been so scared lately it’s been hard to even believe this can get better, but the support I’ve gotten since reaching out and posting this has blown my mind. Thank you so much for your generosity and encouragement. The world feels so scary sometimes but there are too many good people out there to count and you have made all the difference. I cannot wait to get better so that I can start getting back on stage and performing again. This has give me more strength and compassion than I can imagine and I am really proud of what I managed to accomplish in the last year and finally putting together a team of great doctors!
End update*******
Hi everyone, Olivia Grace here— crowdfunding while my doctors appointments and symptoms keep me unable to work and perform. Here’s a quick summary of my wild experience with the American Medical System and thank you for reading, donating and sharing!!
Starting in 2016 I began complaining of pelvic pain to what ended up being dozens of doctors. I was offered diets, anxiety relief, and birth control pills… nothing worked.
I continued to bother doctors about this increasing pain throughout my 20’s and was tested for everything... but nobody took me seriously until they found an early stage of appendix cancer!
That doctor said they caught it so early that if I have ongoing symptoms, it must be endometriosis.
Luckily my PET scan showed no disease as of 11/2022 and thankfully, I found an amazing oncologist who listens to my symptoms and will screen me for the rest of my life!
But I still have issues!! In January of 2023, my L kidney stopped draining properly and I had a nephrostomy tube placed to keep it going.
The tube is buying that kidney time for a surgeon to plan, image, study, and eventually remove the blockage and biopsy it to be sure of what it is. My surgeon is amazing and also even very handsome but don’t tell him that because I don’t want to make him uncomfortable.
Anyways, my doctors all now think I have endometriosis, a common, non-cancer, and deeply misunderstood gynecologic disease that causes bleeding lesions to form on organs throughout the body.
If you saw me on Comedy Central the day after I tore my knee open and got 40 stitches, you know I can totally make fun of a guy while in a lot of physical pain before I even complain. This is excruciating!
Endometriosis surgeons are difficult to see— there is no insurance code for the diagnostic / treatment surgery AT ALL— therefore, they operate outside networks and their fees are thousands of dollars.
Some doctors shrugged off my symptoms but being annoyingly thorough actually may have saved my life!
I am finally in touch with the appropriate surgeons and have consults scheduled for February.
Now I just need your help to make it through the next few months.
Here are the ways in which I will be taking care of myself with the funds you graciously donate toward my healing journey: - Rent, food, gas while I spend the next few months consulting with surgeons over zoom, and get all the tests and imaging they and my current doctors want. I also need to move to the West Side of LA to be closer to my current hospital. - Paying copays and keeping my PPO plan so I don’t lose my doctors - Cash-on-hand for surgeons’ fees and travel costs if the surgeon is out-of-state Thank you for your help. This is the most frightening thing I have ever been through, and I have seen some shit. Please help me finish my journey to health again by donating and sharing. Thank you!!!
**** PS
if you know anyone who’s struggled with endometriosis and found a surgeon who helped them, please contact me thru social media.
There are so few knowledgeable doctors out there regarding this illness and I would benefit a great deal from even a consult with any surgeon who has enough endometriosis experience to have seen patients with a history of NET’s.
Thank you!! ************
Organizer
Olivia Grace
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA