Support Jess and Ellie's Fight for Health

Hello! I am Jess, and this is my wife Ellie. Ellie is an amazing human. She is the funniest, smartest, and kindest person I know. Everything she does she does for other people. Together, we host the Gifted Kid Messy Adult podcast with a goal of helping neurodivergent people and their loved ones. She advocates and volunteers for queer and trans rights. She helps me in my work as I coach adult autistics and ADHDers to help them with jobs and with issues in the workplace. I'm also a public speaker working with global nonprofits to help educate the world about neurodiversity. A large portion of our work is done for free. Until late last year I had a full time job that provided our benefits. We have been working hard to get our own businesses off the ground, and I have been searching for full-time work.

Both Ellie and I are AuDHD and have comorbid chronic illnesses. Ellie has had lots of challenges. For the first several years after we got married Ellie had severe gastrointestinal problems, fatigue, dizziness, and fainting. That made her unable to continue her work in the trades. Eventually, Ellie was rendered bedbound and unable to eat. She required in-home nursing care. We tried many doctors, specialists, exploratory procedures, non-conventional treatments, therapies, and of course, medication. About three years ago we found a medication combo that greatly reduced her symptoms.

After I lost my job, I purchased insurance through the exchange as we couldn't afford the COBRA. Insurance is just over $1000/month. Ellie requires regular infusions to keep her alive. The medication is covered under our insurance so there is a significant discount of the $22,000 per treatment, but under the new plan there remains a large balance for us to pay. This has ranged from $1900 to $3200 per treatment. We must keep up on the payments as Ellie continuously needs her infusions, and she cannot get one if we have a balance. We have explored other medications, and she has quit taking some of her prescribed meds to try and save some money. I am forgoing several of my own prescriptions as well. We are continuing to work with the doctors and the insurance company to try and find a resolution, however, the fact remains that while we do that the costs continue to mount. There is no end in sight.

I am terrified that I'm going to lose the person I love more than anything in the world because I can't afford her medication, and that breaks my heart. I've never asked for help before, and part of me still can't believe I'm in this position. I'm hoping to raise enough funding to help us cover insurance and medication through the end of the year.