Donate Button

Check out my cool new donate button over to the right -->
My wonderful friend Jeff did the behind the scenes work so that you can directly donate to my Lyme Treatment Fund. Thank you Jeff!

This couldn't come at a better time. I've run out of short term disability money and am not strong enough quite yet to go back to work. I'm working hard to get social security disability until I can go back to work with out killing myself, but the system has a lot of red tape and it's taking a long time. So in the meantime, I'm working on fundraising with my good friends Janine and Jeff who also have Lyme Disease to help us all ease the burden of Lyme related expenses.

We're having two Lyme Awareness yard sale fundraisers and looking into getting a band to play a benefit concert. May is Lyme Disease Awareness month and we're looking into hosting an information/fundraising both at the Saturday Market in San Lorenzo Park sometime in May.

Here are some ways you can help us:

- donate directly by clicking the donate button at the top of the page.
Any amount is helpful, even $5 makes a difference.
(there is also a button on Jeff and Janine's page at http://cruzjones.blogspot.com)

- donate your unwanted items to our yard sale fundraiser

- stop by our yard sale fundraiser this weekend Sat. March 26th to say hi and learn
more about Lyme Disease

- share this blog with your network


- cash in your recycling or that change jar you have laying around and donate it

- call or stop by and say hi

Thanks again to everyone who has supported us in the past and continue to offer support in so many important ways. We are lucky to have such a great community to help us get through this.

THANK YOU

Helping Friends With Lyme

Hi friends and family,

As many of you know, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease and related co-infections about 8 months ago. It's been an interesting journey since then. Every day is different, some days are good and others not so much. Lately, things have been looking up, which is a nice change. I've found a Lyme Literate Dr. who is estimating that my treatment will last 1-2 years. One of the most frustrating things about Lyme Disease is the political battle surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme. The short story is that because of some poorly written guidelines most Lyme patients must pay for their Lyme literate Drs. and treatment out of pocket. In 2009, we spent over $4500 out of pocket, on medical expenses. With me not working, that's been a challenge. I'm so thankful for Emiliano's support through all of this and so glad that our insurance is covering prescriptions so far. Many friends have also stepped up and offered financial support which helped cover a lot in the beginnng. However, i'm not the only one who needs support.


Recently, my good friends Jeff and Janine Jones have also been diagnosed with Lyme and an assortment of co-infections. They are currently looking for a Lyme literate Dr. as mine is not accepting any new patients at this time. They are happy to finally understand what has been ailing them for so long and daunted by the sudden onslought of medical tests, Dr. fees, and prescription costs they will soon face. They currently do not have health insurance and will be paying for everything out of pocket even prescriptions, for both of them.

We've decided to raise funds for the three of us by hosting a 2 weekend yard sale/ Awareness Event. March 26-27 we'll be at my house on Darwin St. in the Seabright Area of Santa Cruz. Then we'll take all the left overs to their house and give it a second go round April 23-24th. I'm hoping that we can raise enough $ to send them both to a Lyme Literate Dr.

You can help us out by donating your unwanted items to our yard sale. Whatever you were going to take to good will please send it our way instead. Every little bit of help means a lot for us so, thank you for what you have already done and for what you may do to support all of us in the future. It means a lot.

To find out more about my journey with Lyme Disease check out my blog.

You can also support our cause by shopping with String Bean Studios on etsy or at local craft faires. Check out the String Bean Studios Blog for date and events.

For more information about Lyme Disease visit www.lymedisease.org

Thank you for your friendship, understanding, and support.

Keri

I Have Lyme and I'm Lucky

You might be asking yourself why I think I'm lucky to have Lyme. Well, I'm lucky because of all the wonderful things that have happened since I figured out that I have Lyme Disease and I wanted to share with you some of the things I appreciate and feel grateful for that never would have happened if I hadn't discover that I have Lyme.

I'm lucky because:

- i know what is causing my aches and pains, and various other symptoms. Some people have a really hard time getting diagnosed and go for decades not getting the diagnosis and treatment they deserve.

- i have a wonderful friend Natalie aka. Squirrel who was so generous and paid for me to see our Naturopath who first diagnosed me with Lyme.

- there are Lyme Literate Drs. near by and I had several to choose from and was able to find a good one only 20 minutes away.

- we have insurance that pays for some of my needs.

- i have a wonderful husband who works really hard at several jobs to pay for just about everything we/I need. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I didn't have him. He's what is getting me through this.

- we can afford most of the natural treatments that help to ease the symptoms and aid the healing process.

- i have figured out that I'm not a wimpy person who can't do as much as other people, I'm not getting older yet, I'm not loosing my mind, and the pain is real because I'm sick.

- i have discovered that there are wonderful people in the world who will step up to help others even if they don't know them very well.

- i have discovered who my real friends are and who I can really count on in times of need. And, when I needed money they stepped up to the challenge and dug deep into their pockets and gave.

- i have made lots of new wonderful supportive and amazing friends, like Janine. Too bad so many of them live far away.

- i have discovered my inner artist and my talent for creating jewelry. I finally feel like a creative person.

- i have learned to like new foods. My limited diet has created situations where i have had to be more willing to eat strange or seemingly yucky things and consequently discovered they're not so bad after all.

- i have learned a lot about how the body works and what herbs are good for healing a variety of ailments.

- because i have a situation where I can survive with not working for a while and focus my energy on healing.

- it could be worse. While this is by far the worst thing I have ever experienced, it could be much worse. I can still walk and talk, and do many things. And I'm not dying. I will survive this, and I will get my life back. This too shall pass.

For all of those things and many many more, I AM LUCKY.

Salt Update

I've been taking salt/vit. C and the liquid oxygen for 4 weeks now. It's been really good. I have felt more energetic and happy and generally great for the last few weeks. It's been really nice and I've been getting out and about by myself and doing a lot more. I've been driving a bit, but only when I feel really good and the traffic is light. I've gotten reinspired again with the jewelry business and have been making new items, selling more on etsy, and getting ready for upcoming summer and fall shows.

As predicted by the salt/C protocol a herx reaction is supposed to occur at about the 4 week mark, well here it is. The last few days, I've been feeling run down, my body hurts more, I'm not as motivated to get out of the house, and the late nights are back in full force. I know that all of this means it's working and I'm killing off the bacteria during their reproductive cycle. I hope this hurx doesn't get much worse then this, cause I feel grumpy and hurty and I want it to stop.

One of the hardest parts of all of this is the low periods after I feel really good. It feels really good to be getting my life back and then to all the sudden have it taken down a notch AGAIN is hard. I sometimes wish it would just be a gradual upward trend with out these setbacks. Hopefully, this new treatment will provide improved test results and prove that it is worth the pain.