Why is Lyme Treatment NOT Covered by Insurance???

If you are wondering why Lyme treatment is not covered by insurance, please view this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhgmeb5y7Y0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Raffle "Item" #3

All - our next raffle items are jars of homemade jam and marmalade.  There are  2 - 12 oz and 6 - 8 oz jars of clementine marmalade (see pictures below) as well as 4 - 8 oz jars of tomato-basil jam (it's sweet and unusual).

The incredible shrinking raffle item!

Well, it's not the item that shrinks - it's YOU. Alison Morrow is an independent It Works! distributor and is donating a box of four Ultimate Body Applicators worth $99!

 

The box includes four of the cloth, formula-infused wraps that detox you while also making you lose inches where you've wrapped it. (Click "product description" to read more about it!) This will be an awesome way to get your body swimsuit-ready! Head over to GiveForward.com right now and buy your raffle tickets at only $5 each! 

New Raffle Item

All - below are a couple of pictures of a scarf that has been donated to the raffle!!  It is made from Malabrigo wool (Rasta yarn - Super Bulky, 100% merino wool, hand wash, dry flat).  It is very soft and will be very warm in the winter :)

A Summary by Holly

The following is a brief summary by Holly about living with Lyme.  Additional posts will her story will be posted in the coming weeks.

Frustration.  That is the most common emotion that I feel these days.  Lyme disease will do that to you.  Some days I feel like the list of “cant’s” grows exponentially every day.  This disease is one that has reached every system in my body.  Lyme disease is often called “the great mimic” as it often takes the characteristics of many known diseases.  Some days I wish that I had one of the “known” diseases, as I think that others would have a better idea of what I am up against.  As it is, even I am surprised daily by the strange symptoms that appear.  No two cases are identical, which is one of the reasons why this disease is so difficult to diagnose if you do not catch it early enough (as I did not—I was hospitalized with a severe case of mononucleosis, when I really had Lyme!)  Today, I struggle with double vision and muscular weakness from a secondary neurological disease caused by the Lyme.  I tremble, shake, and have had seizures.  I live in constant fatigue and spend the lion’s share of most days sleeping. Body aches, joint pain, mental fog. This is only a few of my long list of daily struggles.  I have many emotions concerning this.  Feeling like my life is passing before me is one of them.  Loss is another.  So much that I mourn not being the mother I want to be.  Not being mentally sharp enough or energetic enough to have a career to help pay for the mountain of debt that I have accrued due to my medical expenses is depressing to me.  The money and time and sanity that I have lost trying to figure out for 13 years what was wrong with me is among the grieved losses as well.  I wished before I knew why I was ill, and continue to wish so much now for healing.  In April  of 2011  I received a ray of hope that I would not have to continue in this health tailspin and loss when a doctor finally culminated all of my medical records, history, and labs and suggested the diagnosis of Lyme (and confirmed through testing)—a complex illness that did in fact hold some hope for treatment and recovery.  Little did I know what a difficult path that would lead me down.

After a 13 year journey to find a diagnosis, finding a doctor proved to be another difficult step.  Navigating the quacks, the doctors who side with the IDSA and refuse to “believe” that chronic, late stage Lyme exists (this still baffles me, but that is a whole other issue entirely), and those pushing treatments that would exacerbate my Myasthenia Gravis seemed to rule almost every doctor out.  After a few hiccups, we finally found one in Missouri whose track record and method of treatment agreed with my symptomatic challenges and needs.  August 2011, I made my first journey to Missouri to see the doctor.  Since then, I have cycled through 4 different antibiotics as well as a host of other drugs and supplements that help my body in the war against these bugs.  Each antibiotic is specifically chosen for its effects on the Borrelia Burgdorfieri bacteria’s different life cycles.  Each one has brought its share of side effects, as well as the Jarisch-Herxheimer (or die-off) reactions.  Herxheimer reactions are a positive signal that the Borrelia is dying, but because of the neurotoxins released by the spirochete as it dies, too severe of a reaction can weaken the body and render it too weak to fight, so it is a tricky balance to keep.  I have had a hard time keeping the Herxheimer reactions under control thus far.  This gives me hope that I am on the right path, but keeps me constantly guessing whether I need to switch up dosages or do something different.  I have just begun taking Flagyl, which has become well known for its “effectiveness” (translation: this is the drug that will give you the worst herx reactions yet!).  I have been on it two days and can already feel some of the caustic effects, but I press on because I have hope that I will be able to live free of this disease and all of its trappings some day!

This is Holly, filled with hope, on her way to the doctor in Missouri!

Here's a photo of our dear friend Holly on a good day, looking lovely!

Friends - In the coming days and weeks I will begin posting photos or descriptions of the items that will be included in our raffle, I hope this will provide inspiration for future donations of raffle items and/or a desire the purchase raffle tickets!!  I will also be posting an update from Holly to help us better understand this difficult journey she is fighting to complete.  I just wanted to let everyone know what to look forward to!!! 

Hi All - I have attached a link to a website which provides a great deal of information regarding Lyme disease, including a CDC projection of costs related to treatment (that is 13 years old, so one can only imagine the significant increase in health care costs).  I encourage everyone to read this information for several reasons including: prevention and simply understanding the long-term side effects of this illness.

http://www.lymediseaseassociation.org/

Help Holly!

If you know Holly Willis, then you know her strong character, her bright smile, her beautiful heart and her solid faith. You also know that Holly's world has been rocked by Lyme disease. If you don't know her, then we hope you'll stick around to learn more about the friend we all care for so deeply and want to see healed from this devastating illness. We'll be posting more about Holly and Lyme disease later - right now we want to introduce the effort we've begun to try to help the Willis family keep their head above financial waters as they continue the uninsured and extremely expensive treatment that is, at this point, Holly's only earthly hope. Our goal is steep, but reachable. Will you help us help Holly?


HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
Right now, we're in the process of soliciting and accepting donations of items we can use to create some of the most spectacular "gift baskets" ever. (The quotes are because there will likely not be any baskets used, but that phrase gives you an idea of what we're aiming for.) As items are received, we'll post here so you can see what kinds of goodies will be available for you to win starting May 26th. To purchase a raffle "ticket", donate $5 at GiveForward.com. (Be sure NOT to mark your donation as anonymous or to hide your donated amount, or else we won't know who to credit those tickets to!) Every $5 you donate will purchase you one raffle ticket. Starting May 26th, we'll post one awesome gift basket per day. To enter the drawing for the basket, leave a comment on the post. Want to enter more than once on the basket you really want? In your comment, note how many "tickets" you're spending. We'll be able to track through GiveForward.com how many tickets you purchased. Note that, once your ticket has been spent, you won't get it back if you don't win. (Just like a raffle with physical tickets--once you enter it in a drawing, your ticket is gone.) The comments will close at midnight; comments left after that time will not be counted. We'll use Random.org to choose the winner and will post their name the next day.

HOW TO DONATE RAFFLE ITEMS:
Email the fundraising team (fundraiserforholly dot gmail dot com) with a description of the item and a photo (if applicable). Include your website if you have one and we'll be sure to link to it when we post about the item. You will be responsible for mailing the item to the winner at the end of the fundraiser (within a week from the win date for non-custom-made items; for custom-made items,  tell us when you submit the item description how long it will take you to ship so the winner knows what to expect). Because we're not a not-for-profit, your donation is not tax deductible. This is strictly a sacrificial, out-of-the-goodness-of-your-heart donation. For $25, you can purchase advertising space in the sidebar. And please be sure to spread the news far and wide to your friends, family, customers, subscribers, Facebook friends and Twitter followers! To help you with that, here is a shortened URL that will bring people directly here to the site: http://tinyurl.com/helphollywillis.

HOW TO PURCHASE A RAFFLE TICKET:
Be sure to have your credit card info available. Click the GiveForward.com button and enter your info there. Donate as much or as little as you want, and every $5 increment will get you a entry towards the gift basket of your choice. GiveFroward.com will keep track for us of names and email addresses, so we'll be able to contact you if you win. Note that if you want to purchase more tickets later, you will need to reenter your information at that time as GiveForward.com does not store payment info.


Things have been hard for Holly lately. The treatment course is not easy on the body - killing "the bugs" means ravaging her own system as well, and it's hard to be a wife and mom when you're going through what she's going through. Holly, her husband Aaron, and their son "D" need some cheering up. Wiping out their medical debt would certainly help do that. Will you donate an item for the raffle,  buy a raffle ticket, and/or post the link to the blog to help us spread the word? THANK YOU in advance for the sacrifices you're willing to make for Holly!