Seth Feldman & Family

Hi, my name is Mike Feldman. My brother Seth, has been diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) formerly known as Wegener's disease. This can be a fatal disease that is absolutely life-altering. As recently as the 70's it had a 5 month survival rate of 50%. Thankfully, today many treated patients are able to lead relatively normal lives once symptoms are managed.

GPA is a type of vasculitis, an autoimmune disorder which causes inflammation of the blood vessels in your nose, sinuses, throat, lungs and kidneys. Vasculitis can also cause blood vessel narrowing to the point of closing off the vessel entirely. This can cause organs to become damaged from loss of oxygen and nutrients that were being supplied by the blood. For more information please check out this link .

Seth’s symptoms started in early 2021 with what he thought were allergies, frequent sinus infections and ear infections. After a year's worth of many trips to MedExpress, the PCP, the ENT, and multiple rounds of antibiotics and steroids, his ENT started to question things. Seth was diagnosed with GPA in November 2022 following vast amounts of bloodwork, CT scans, a biopsy, and referral to a rheumatologist. Luckily, Seth was able to get an appointment with one of Pennsylvania’s only doctors who has completed an additional fellowship and continues to do research in vasculitis studies.

As GPA is still often a life-threatening condition, Seth has had to take an array of very powerful drugs that diminish the immune system but have been shown to be life-saving in most instances. Due to his disease, treatments, and the side effects Seth has not been able to work since January 2023. Needless to say, due to the rarity of the disease there have been many expenses above and beyond Skylar’s daycare and day-to-day living expenses, including out-of-network and medication costs. Despite best efforts, the rarity of this disease is causing difficulties for Seth to be approved for long-term disability.

The main purpose of this fundraiser is to help supplement missing income. Since Seth has been without pay; Seth, Elizabeth, and Skylar have had to resort to using their emergency funds to keep up with living expenses. With no end in sight to their fight for disability, and no certainty as to when Seth will be able to return to work, the raising of funds is something that is needed to help this beautiful family stay afloat. Any help is appreciated from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for the love and support!