Support for Ellen

Imagine waking up one morning and finding yourself incredibly weak, unable to stand on your own and in immense physical pain. Imagine living with a daily fear of falling and injuring yourself with no help nearby to come to your aid. Imagine the emotional toll this loss of independence might take on both you and your spouse and children. My aunt Ellen lives in this world and has been fighting her diagnosis of Polymyositis for decades.  This progressive, chronic autoimmune disease has robbed Ellen of many things we take for granted in daily life. Despite the hand she was dealt, I have watched Ellen and my uncle Stan continue to live a fulfilling life. They are both incredibly involved parents to their two children Thomas, a recent college graduate and Sam who is working on her college degree now. My godmother Ellen is a strong woman who continues to stay active when she can, and until recently was in the gym working out more than most other fully capable people.  As her disease has taken more and more strength from her, Stan has been at her side to support and love her with everything he has. Thomas and Samantha also help when they can take time from work and school. Unfortunately, Ellen's health has recently declined with a fall that has come with many complications leaving Ellen in an unusually fragile state. She is very weak, and I am fearful for her wellbeing when she is home by herself while Stan is at work providing for his family. In addition, as many of you may unfortunately know from experience, medical needs come with a great financial cost. Medications, doctor visits and the need for home nurse care, physical therapy and wound care can become daunting bills in a very short time frame. I am hopeful that by coming together with small donations, we can each provide some relief to Ellen and her family in their daily battle. Both my aunt and uncle are incredibly caring, strong and loving people who deserve more support and a strong community behind them. Please help me to provide much needed assistance to Ellen. Any contribution and show of support would mean a great deal. Let's come together and do some good for a most deserving family. 

Thank you for your efforts!

 Lauren

For more information on Polymyositis, you can look to the links below. 

https://www.mda.org/disease/polymyositis 

https://www.myositis.org/about-myositis/types-of-myositis/polymyositis/