Here’s what’s been going on:
It was only a week ago where I was fighting for my life after doctors misdiagnosed me and misled me for 5 years.
I’d often be misdiagnosed or be told: “nothing is wrong, but here’s another medication.”
A few days ago, I saw other doctors nearby and was told it was my spleen and maybe my pancreas. That maybe I’ll have to get surgery for that. This would’ve been costly, still didn’t feel accurate, & didn’t make much sense. They even played with the idea that I had ovarian cancer, which terrified me. It was a total roller coaster… there was much confusion trying to understand Spanish regarding anatomy & physical health. My partner and I just aren’t that fluent.
After begging doctors to give me a CT scan yesterday in a predominantly Spanish speaking hospital here in Peru and doing any possible test we could, we discovered that I need to get surgery on May 10th to have my appendix removed. It’s a simple, streamlined, common, & easy procedure with very little risk. I’m so happy that after 5 years of confusion, we finally know what’s going on and we have a course of action, thanks to my ability to advocate for myself with fierceness.
Here’s the not so great news:
The health issues & challenges that were caused by being misdiagnosed & misled for years have resulted in me having a very weak immune system, more organs not functioning properly (liver, kidneys, spleen) exhaustion, a very upset gut biome from all of the antibiotics and sickness, & some other not so fun symptoms that I am managing now.
It’s crazy because I thought I was going to die on multiple occasions through this process (especially last Sunday) due to nutrition malabsorption, being unable to eat, being unable to digest properly, unable to hydrate properly. It’s been scary!
I’ve lost work, I’ve been prevented from serving my purpose fully, I’ve had to lean on my partner a lot through this and have recently reached out to family to support costs of medical expenses, basic necessities, etc.
The emotional and financial weights (let alone my bodily weakness & exhaustion) that this has brought on has actually been more than what I can hold on my own, so I’ve surrendered to needing & receiving support.
And yet, it is a lot of pressure for me, my partner, and my family to hold.
Everyone’s doing what they can, but more help is needed…
Here’s what we need:
We need help raising more money to take off the financial burden off of my beloved and family, as everything has added up quickly, and I haven’t been able to make much income during this time to pay for every treatment and therapy.
-medical expenses
-travel expenses for surgery
-recovery support expenses
-housing costs, utilities, etc to alleviate some pressure off of my incredible man whose taken on most of the financial weight of everything & is in the process of buying our house & property as we speak
Here’s the cost breakdown:
$840 - recent medical tests / care
$2100 - cost of surgery
$300 - flight costs for surgery (Cusco - Lima)
$1000 - recovery support expenses for ozone therapy, rest, doctors appointments, more time off work
$3000 - housing costs etc
That’s a total of $6240 and while we’ve been able to cover 25% of that so far, it’s a lot because of everything else that’s been covered leading up to this point, which has been around $8k in medical expenses, therapies, & basic necessities. While certain aspects of this goal aren’t immediately necessary, we do have a timeline to get as much raised as we can by Sunday April 26th to pay the costs for surgery and to alleviate pressures.
Please consider donating anything you can to help me and my beloved, & my family move through this incredibly difficult process.
Anything helps!
Here’s how you can donate:
With a debit / credit card
We can receive donations through my site or donate with our gofundme page
Venmo or paypal
Venmo: @kristinalove88
Paypal: sacral.lioness@gmail.com
Interac e-transfer (Canada)
Yape (Peru)
+51 983 029 791
Thank you, community
Your support means a lot to me in this difficult time. Please understand that I don’t have the capacity, energy, or strength to respond to every message right now, nor maintain conversation with so many different sweet souls. Your love and support, whether it be some words of love, financial support, etc. all mean so so so much to me. Together, I’ll be thriving again in no time.
Here’s the timeline:
5/09 - fly to Lima, Peru for surgery
5/10 - surgery
5/14 - fly back home to Urubamba, Peru
5/14 - 6/4 - deep recovery, rest, recuperation
6/4 & onwards - lots and lots of maintenance healing
Hopefully, I can get back to work by mid to late June, if all goes well. Thank you so much, community. Blessings.