Sophia Rose Gruskos’ Battle with EDS/POTS
Donation protected
Those who have spent even a couple of minutes in Sophia’s presence, know the light she brings to the world.
Sophia has struggled for most of her life with chronic pain in her joints and digestive problems. She began working at the Gorilla Foundation in 2015 serving as one of the primary caregivers for Koko. Like with all of her endeavors, Sophia put her whole heart into her work. The nature of this work was demanding on her body and her physical symptoms worsened. After meeting with a number of medical professionals, she received a clinical diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a disease that weakens the connective tissue in the body and affects one’s heart. Over time, Sophia developed concerning new symptoms including feeling nauseous/shaky, vomiting, chest pain and anxiety/nervousness--symptoms she would later learn resulted from a cardiovascular condition called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Sophia experienced profound grief after Koko's passing that continues today. She took time off from work in 2018 to focus on her health. Sophia returned to work to serve adults with developmental disabilities in the summer of 2019. Returning to work put stress on her body, and she has been hospitalized twice since, the second of which occurred at the end of January 2020, a week after her 30th birthday. Sophia also received the POTS diagnosis shortly after starting her position at the Department of Heath. Sophia does her best to take good care of herself and serve her community. Though she would like to continue her work at the DOH, she is being urged by medical professionals and those close to her to take time to heal.
The money raised would help take care of Sophia’s rent, associated house costs, medical bills, basic needs and allow her to look into treatment options. Any support you can offer is greatly appreciated.
If you prefer to make a donation using an alternative method please contact [email redacted]
Or send to -
Sophia Gruskos
PO Box 829, El Prado, N.M., 87529
Sophia has struggled for most of her life with chronic pain in her joints and digestive problems. She began working at the Gorilla Foundation in 2015 serving as one of the primary caregivers for Koko. Like with all of her endeavors, Sophia put her whole heart into her work. The nature of this work was demanding on her body and her physical symptoms worsened. After meeting with a number of medical professionals, she received a clinical diagnosis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a disease that weakens the connective tissue in the body and affects one’s heart. Over time, Sophia developed concerning new symptoms including feeling nauseous/shaky, vomiting, chest pain and anxiety/nervousness--symptoms she would later learn resulted from a cardiovascular condition called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Sophia experienced profound grief after Koko's passing that continues today. She took time off from work in 2018 to focus on her health. Sophia returned to work to serve adults with developmental disabilities in the summer of 2019. Returning to work put stress on her body, and she has been hospitalized twice since, the second of which occurred at the end of January 2020, a week after her 30th birthday. Sophia also received the POTS diagnosis shortly after starting her position at the Department of Heath. Sophia does her best to take good care of herself and serve her community. Though she would like to continue her work at the DOH, she is being urged by medical professionals and those close to her to take time to heal.
The money raised would help take care of Sophia’s rent, associated house costs, medical bills, basic needs and allow her to look into treatment options. Any support you can offer is greatly appreciated.
If you prefer to make a donation using an alternative method please contact [email redacted]
Or send to -
Sophia Gruskos
PO Box 829, El Prado, N.M., 87529
Organizer and beneficiary
Lindsay Wilwol
Organizer
Albuquerque, NM
Sophia Gruskos
Beneficiary