Support Melissa's Treatment for Chronic Lyme

Hi, my name is Rachel and I’m fundraising on behalf of my best friend, Melissa. She is one of the strongest people I know and has had an incredibly tough, and life-altering past few years. If you are able, I encourage you to donate and/or share her journey to spread the word about this under-diagnosed and often, misjudged disease.

Melissa has been dealing with severe chronic Lyme disease for over a year and a half now. It started in 2023, one month into her law school journey when she first started experiencing flu-like symptoms and was told by multiple doctors it was just a flu, maybe Covid-19, and then perhaps Mono…? Shortly after, these symptoms turned into something much more serious, including extreme fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, joint pain, muscle twitches, sensitivity to light and sound, migraines, short-term memory loss, anxiety, brain fog, and the list goes on. This all made simply living life, debilitating.

Anyone who knows Melissa knows she has always lived a very active lifestyle, with a passion for running and working out nearly every day. Today, Melissa struggles with any kind of physical activity, and the simple act of leaving the house can take her days - or even weeks - to recover from. She has been forced to miss a vast majority of her classes, obtain extensions for school work, and turn down almost all social events and opportunities, putting her plans for the future on hold. Her once vibrant energy has been depleted and replaced with constant struggle to even get out of bed each morning and make it through the day.

It goes without saying that Melissa's quality of life has drastically changed, and it has been heartbreaking to watch her face such challenges, going through everyday movements that used to be effortless and done without thinking twice. Despite her tireless efforts to do absolutely everything she can to heal through regimented, and disciplined treatments and protocols, she has been unable to find relief here in Canada.

For those who don't know, Lyme disease can become elusive and when not properly diagnosed and treated early enough, it becomes more and more difficult to manage. After seeing multiple doctors who could not offer a clear diagnosis, Melissa was finally diagnosed with chronic Lyme months later, after countless hours of research, thousands of dollars spent on blood work, and advocating for herself to a number of doctors and specialists.

Unfortunately, the treatment options in North America have proven ineffective for her case, but her unyielding determination is giving her strength and hope. Recently Melissa was accepted to undergo a highly specialized Lyme disease treatment program at Klinik St. Georg in Germany, which has a very high success rate in treating chronic Lyme cases like hers. Unfortunately, treatment like this is not available in North America, and none of it will be covered by insurance.

Again, if you know Melissa, she has always been reluctant to ask for help, often putting others' needs before her own. But right now, she has reached a point where she can no longer do this on her own and needs our help. We are asking for donations to support Melissa's treatment as she takes this critical step toward her healing journey. Every contribution - no matter how big or small - will go directly toward covering the medical costs associated with her treatment in Germany.

Melissa's dream is to pursue a career in law, but Lyme disease is making it nearly impossible to keep moving forward. Despite facing numerous setbacks, she remains determined to fight through it and never give up. With the right treatment, we are confident Melissa will be able to regain her health and her life back, allowing her to become the best lawyer, friend, daughter, wife and mother she aspires to be.

Thank you in advance, we deeply appreciate your sincere generosity, kindness and support. Xxx