So far we have raised 875.00 that is a great start but we have to reach further. We are therefore extending the sales for the raffle through to July 30th. The draw itself will be held on Sunday August 3rd in Kansas.
Thank you to everyone who has showed their support for Bron's cause.
Thank you to everyone who has showed their support for Bron's cause.
Artist and mother, donna y, is making her art count for hope for her daughter, who is fighting for her life against the ravages of Lyme disease, by raffling off her original artwork.
A review of Bron's medical files suggests that she contracted Lyme at Girl Guide camp when she was nine. Her allergies to mosquito and blackfly bites, which caused welts that grew to softball size, made spotting a tick bite impossible. And even had a tick bite been spotted, no one knew about Lyme at the time; the public’s attention was on West Nile disease then. For years, Lyme wore a disguise, producing symptoms that misled: migraines of unknown cause, visual problems (to be expected, given that her mom and dad wore glasses), eating issues mistaken for anorexia, concentration problems seen as learning disabilities, gastrointestinal problems that suggested celiac disease and led to a healthy appendix being removed in an attempt to treat abdominal pain. Everything could be explained away—until everything combined exploded into organ failures, one by one.
In Canada side, our hospitals treat symptoms and pass the buck when it comes to looking for the cause. When Bronwyn's bladder stopped working the first time, all tests for infection were ruled out. A folly catheter was put in place for a few days. When it was removed, her bladder started functioning again. She was released with no follow ups with a urologist and told: "This shouldn't be happening to a 25-year-old woman; we don't know why it did, but it is working now, so you can go home." This has been the case throughout her life. Causes were never sought, while explanations were vague and non-committal.
Bronwyn didn't pursue it either, as she was leaving in a few more months to marry her soul-mate and live in the United States. They didn't expect her to wake up three days after their wedding to Bron's legs being paralyzed. Four months after this life-changing event, thanks to her husband's research and persistence, Bronwyn tested positive for Lyme Disease and 32 tick-related co-infections.
That was two years ago and a lot has happened since. Eight doctors have dropped her because she is too sick for them to handle. Some were nice enough to give referrals. Some were paralyzed by the laws the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) have in place about treating chronic Lyme disease, making it impossible to provide long-term antibiotic treatments to American patients. These same doctors are able to treat Canadians crossing the boarder and paying cash. We find this cross-boarder political medical care disturbing.
Lyme disease is portrayed by media as a condition one lives with. You can't live with Lyme; it slowly eats you away organ by organ, causing brain damage and neurological damage, along with a host of other very serious medical conditions. As Bronwyn fights her battle daily, her mother is trying to raise funds to help with the fight.
This raffle is International, as we have touched friends all over the world, and we are reaching out to them for help in this fight for life.
Tickets are available for sale online at: SHIRTSHAK, and e-mail: [email protected]. You can donate on the blog page:
Drawing For Bronwyn
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