a health update

Dear friends, I so appreciate y'alls patience and kindness as I have taken some time away from updating about my health in these last couple of months. I do not take it lightly that there are so many of you that have prayed numerous prayers, spent hours upon hours laboring on your knees for me, or that you daily are begging the Lord for complete healing. You are SUCH a blessing in this long journey. Words cannot adequately express how much I am humbled by your generous financial support, your compassionate letters and text messages, and the ways that you uniquely and courageously love this little heart of mine. 

 I appreciate more than words can express your kind patience as I have tried to start adjusting to this intense treatment round and have definitely struggled more these past weeks then ever behind the scenes. Several of you have commented that this has probably been one of the most stressful and difficult parts of this journey for me and I admit that it has been filled with many tears and pain and so I appreciate your kindness in the midst of this difficult time. Thank you for your gracious love in this journey.

I know specifically so many of you are curious to know how things are going with this treatment round. I will be honest... it is intense, it is trying, I am weary, and it is definitely a "one minute at a time" season. For four days out of the week (Mondays through Thursdays) I am in intense IV treatments, doctors appointments, antibiotic regimes, supplement schedules, and "nic the picc" appointments. My days start at about 5am and end around 8-9pm and every single minute is pretty much scheduled. On the other three days (Friday through Sundays) my schedule varies with different appointments, a focus on detoxing, IV treatment (that is different then the Monday through Thursdays), supplement regimes, alternative therapy appointments (i.e. reflexology, acupuncture, chiropractor appointments, therapeutic massage, etc.) etc. These days I start at around 6-7am and end around 7-8pm. It is intense, and sometimes it seems like there is a rhythm and other times it seems like it falls apart and then I have a ton of tears. *smiles* We try to find the laughter in each day (like when my dear friend Katie offering to "bedazzle" a medical mask when I mentioned that there was a cute doctor at one of my doctors offices *smiles*) and take each minute as it comes.

As I shared on instagram we have had some encouraging reports that show that my treatment protocol is definitely helping me heal from Lyme, that my digestive system (that I was told three years ago was "beyond repair") is now able to handle a nutritious diet, and that only one organ compared to several is in failure. Each of these things is a COMPLETE answer to prayer and a beautiful blessing. At the same time though I struggle as I know we still have a very very long road ahead. 

 I am reminded that we are gently and lovingly carried by the Lord and met with grace for each day (Psalm 68:19). So today there is a mixture of hard and good. Tears and rejoicing. Struggling and trusting. And knowing that my pain and discouragement will be preciously and tenderly met by the God of love that bids me to trust Him in new ways. 

As I head forward we have several prayer requests: 

(1) For strength and grace to meet each day of treatment.

(2) For a removal of extreme vertigo/dizziness that is a side effect to some of my antibiotic regimen. This particular side effect is extremely difficult to handle (even laying flat on my back it is awful) and is something I ask for specific prayers for. 

(3) For "Nic the PICC" to have no issues. We have been praising the Lord that we have heard from numerous doctors and nurses how amazing this placement was and how healthy it is. We do not take that lightly or for granted and we covet your prayers for this to continue. 

(4) For my one organ that is in failure to be supernaturally healed. 

(5) For the Lord to meet me right where I am at and for encouragement and mercy for each day before me. 

(6) For the financial resources for this upcoming year. Many of you have graciously asked how you can continue to financially support me and I am truly humbled. It is such a humbling thing to speak of financial need and I have handled the "go fund me" page different over the years. Typically in the past I would do a few different "go fund me" pages for costs over the year, but this year I decided to lump everything together for the upcoming year and you can see the breakdown of costs (for the entire year) below:

Doctors Appointments: approx. $5000
Antibiotics/IV Antibiotics: $12000
IV Nutritional Therapy: $5980
Supplements, Herbs, Oils, Etc.: $5400
Alternative Therapies (Acupuncture, Relfexology, additional therapies):$1320
Travel to Lyme Doctor (across the country) & Other Appointments (in and out of state) (includes tolls, ferry costs, plane trips, gas, etc.) : approx. $10000

TOTAL: $39700 
(This total does not include medical bills, insurance costs, daily life expenses, food, etc.)

I have set the "go fund me page" for the entire upcoming year of 2016 and I am prayerfully hoping for $10000 to help offset these costs. As many of you are aware all of the proceeds from my Etsy shop (that re-opens tomorrow!) goes to helping me pay for treatment. In addition my books and any speaking engagements also go to help offset these costs. Thank you for joining me in this prayer for this specific need! If you are interested in giving you can click on the link on the left of this page or HERE to go to my "go fund me" page. 

Words can't express how grateful I am for all of your kind support and love during this time. Thank you again for all of your support, love, and prayers. You are a blessing!

With Love,