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Help a Friend

I’m Valeriia, and, I have Chronic Lyme Disease. My journey with Lyme began a long, long time ago. I had no idea how complex my life was going to get. But the truth is: that was just the beginning. The truth is, the recommended treatment didn’t work for me. My disease is still under-researched and underfunded. It is still polarized and politicized. So I’m here to share pieces of my story.

valeriya oneI’m a girl who struggles every day just to get out of bed and brush my teeth because I’m in pain every second. I’m a girl that struggles through my days and has to think twice as hard simply because I have cognitive dysfunction due to the bacteria eating away at my body, sometimes feels like it’s eating away at my soul. I’m a girl that goes home after work and cries because it takes so much energy just to walk. And I’m a girl who is finally beginning to understand that telling this is not a shame.

With that said, I am also a girl who loves to love. I’m a girl who loves with all my heart. I’m a girl who gets excited about little insignificant things that I just happen to be passionate about. I’m a girl who believes that life is absolutely beautiful. And I’m a girl who simply want’s her life back.

My family say I should feel proud of what I’ve gone through, but it’s different to me. Yes I should, and I do. But I want to be proud of something happy. I don’t want to be known as the sick girl. I want to be proud of something I did, because I wanted to. Not something that I had to get through. I want people to smile at me. Not cry and hope I’m not dying.

I realize I’ve also gained a lot of things. I’ve gained experience that a lot of people will probably never have.
I’ve come to know that pain comes in all forms, and that physical pain is incredibly excruciating as is emotion pain. I’ve come to know that illness isn’t just something that happens in other countries, or to “other people,” but it’s something that can take place in the walls of my own home, my neighbor’s home, or even within my own body.
This disease is really hard, but I have to stay strong and hope for better days. Someday I’ll look back and remember what I’ve gone through. I’ll remember how strong I am. I have to focus on the things I am able to do, not the things I can’t.

valeriya twoAll I want is to be able to have the things many people take for granted: to not be in pain, to finish my education and to have a family. Now I have a chance to try another treatment. Unfortunately, Lyme disease treatment is not covered by insurance. I’ve spent a lot of money out of pocket during my treatment journey and now I have to ask for help. And I’m not ashamed to do it anymore. It’s a chance for me to be alive and to live a full life. I believe in healing. I believe in change. I believe things will get better. I have to.

I am seeking your help to raise funds for treatment at Sophia Health Institute in Seattle, Washington. Sophia Health Institute practices integrative medicine combining the best of western medicine and natural medicine. I will be undergoing treatment for multiple medical disorders: Lyme disease and several additional tick and mosquito-borne co-infections, parasites and mold toxicity alone with treatment of resulting endocrine disorders.

I am kindly asking for ANY donations- big or small- towards my medical treatment. I am grateful for all and any help. Just sharing this post would mean the world to me.

Thank you in advance for helping me continue the fight!
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