Save Rachel's Life: Urgent Medical Fund

Hello to all of our dear friends and family!

Most of our circle of people know that Rachel has been battling some significant health issues.

Basically, her generalized chronic pain started in 2012. She responded well to medication targeting nerve pain.

While taking a walk one February morning in 2019 she noticed a burning sensation in her calf muscles. This progressed to an all new 10 out of 10 pain in any muscle group being used for more than 3 seconds, including chewing, blowing drying her hair, walking any distance.

She was worked up for MS. No dice.

She endured pain full testing to be misdiagnosed with myasthenia gravis.

After months of no response to treatment, she got a 2nd opinion. The antibodies that caused the misdiagnosis were actually indicative of Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopathy AAG).

At this time she was also diagnosed with systemic Sjogren's via lip biopsy.

She was started on the medication for the Sjogren's and most of her symptoms improved, to an extent.

On April 28, 2021, she woke up sick and never got better. After confirming covid negative, she continued life as normal, however, continued to experience constant nausea, vomiting, fainting, profound fatigue and her body just stopped.

Early February 2022 she was diagnosed with the most severe stage of gastroparesis (paralyzed stomach) secondary to the AAG.

After fighting the Mercy EPO insurance system for 6 months, she got herself into the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and was treated so that she regained some of her prior level of function and returned back to work.

She lost 56 pounds and was 82 pounds when she was seen in Ohio. With treatment, she was able to reach 107, which is pretty good.

Since then she received monthly IVIg infusions, then twice weekly infusions at home and then she got Covid last February.

The covid was a catalyst for an extreme resurgence of all four (yes...there is more than the two) autoimmune disorders.

Thinking ahead, she had purchased a Critical Care policy incase of a major hospitalization. She was careful to make sure that a preexisting condition clause was not in the fine print and both paralysis and organ failure were included.

Over the last several months, her condition went from bad to worse to critical.

She was accepted to be seen by one of the two specialist in the nation for AAG at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota in hopes to find some more answers and gain back some quality of life.

Unfortunately, the policy she paid for that would have paid out a lump sum of $30,000 to cover the costs of travel, co-pays, time off of work, paying for pet sitting while gone, etc...ended up not covering her.

She made the difficult decision that it was time to take off her nursing cap. She just could not push herself any longer.

She is hovering between 85 and 92 pounds.

The specialized tube feedings are quite expensive.

She did get on Medicaid and applied for disability with companionate acceleration of benefits.

In the meantime, we need to replace the funds that we thought would sustain her until her full benefits kicked in.

After all, even the dying have to pay rent and car payments; but more than that, we need to save her life!

We have such a beautiful life worth living and so many things to look forward to, even if they won't look exactly like we thought they would.

Any help at all is humbly accepted and appreciated.

We have tapped into every possible resource and we will be leaving for the Mayo Clinic on Sunday 10/06.

We have four days to make this happen and we need any help we can get.

Thank you for all your help, prayer, and good vibes sent our way.

Tim & Rachel