1. YOU JUST CANT BEAT THE PERSON WHO WONT GIVE UP. -Babe Ruth What follows is a story of debilitating illness, the search for answers, and my determination to reclaim my life and my dreams. This will not defeat me. I will not give up. Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved.

2. I am reaching out to ask for advice from others who have been where I am facing serious illness, disability, and extreme poverty. I am reaching out for help from anyone willing. I have late-stage NeuroLyme disease with co-infections. I'd like to share a two minute video about my disease. [Source: open eye pictures; under our skin] Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 3. MY STORY In my 20s I cruised along toward my dreams. Finishing two Masters Degrees by my 23rd birthday, I began to prepare for my next steps earning a PhD followed by medical school. I was blissfully unaware of what lay ahead. Slowly, odd maladies that had been bothersome in my teens became increasingly debilitating in my 20s and 30s. Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 4. SYMPTOMS & NO DIAGNOSIS I would mention symptoms during routine check-ups, but no diagnosis or treatment was offered. My progress toward those career goals stalled, and life became one confusing experience of bizarre ailments. Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 5. DEBILITATING SYMPTOMS Finally, a little over a year ago the symptoms became so debilitating that I was unable to walk and was experiencing chronic pain and fatigue, intermittent seizures, cognitive deficits, memory problems, blurred vision, muscle weakness, major and fine motor impairment, tremors, arthralgia, flu-like symptoms, rashes, swollen joints, and more. The symptoms would roam so that I never knew from day-to-day if, for example, the next day I would be experiencing any, all, or some of the symptoms. Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 6. RISING DEBT ALONG THE JOURNEY Desperate to find a diagnosis and begin treatment, over the next year, devoid of health insurance, I accumulated over $100,000 in medical debt. However, at the age of 37, I was FINALLY diagnosed in April 2013. My future is uncertain in most every way, but I finally have a diagnosis, and I am more excited than ever about the prospect of life post-Lyme. Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 7. LOST TIME Looking back over the years, my journey to an accurate diagnosis has included visits to more than 20 doctors, numerous emergency room visits, and countless tests. My quality of life was significantly diminished and needlessly so. I cant reclaim the lost time spent searching for a solution, but I can and I will make everyday of the rest of my life count double if Im able. Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 8. MESSAGE If you take away nothing else, please hear this: You know your own body and mind better than anyone else, including medical professionals. If you know something is wrong, dont take Its in your head for an answer. Keep searching until you are heard! Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 9. MY FIGHT CONTINUES With late-stage Neurolyme, in some ways the diagnosis is just the beginning. I have months, perhaps years, of treatment ahead, and I do not know if or when I will be able to return to work. I have applied for disability, but I am told the process is long and to expect to be denied at least once. I have significant financial needs due to the cost of my medical care. Ive exhausted all my savings and drained any retirement funds I had accumulated. Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 10. MY NEW NORMAL I have always lived modestly. But my new normal has become food banks, shut-off notices, a binder full of bills and collection notices, a car that wont run, and charity from friends and strangers. While my goals are still very much alive and well, and I awake each day with a sense of purpose and faith that my situation will improve, I cannot deny that I need help. Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 11. PLEASE HELP It is hard to ask for help, especially from strangers. I would prefer to get up from this bed and earn the money myself, but I cannot. My health and my future depend on continuing medical treatment, and , without insurance, it is a cost that is completely out of pocket. I am asking for $1 donations. In this way, I will generate the funds that I need for treatment and care without burdening anyone. You can check out my site, donate if you choose, and follow my progress at www.GoFundMe.Com/AmySharpton For each person who donates, I have a small thank you gift. Due to the cost of postage, the gift will be delivered electronically in a pdf. It is a small token of my appreciation, and I hope you will enjoy it. Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 12. ADVICE If you have advice on how, where, or with whom to share my story, please email me at amysharpton@gmail.com. It is a difficult thing to self-advocate while being very ill. Any advice, connections, resources, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Also, I would like to hear your stories and help promote your goals and dreams as well. I invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/amysharpton Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 13. SHARE & CONNECT Please take two minutes to share, like, and post my story to your social networks. I cant get my message out without your help. Thank you! You can connect with me on my social pages. Id love to hear from you. It may take me longer than usual to respond, but I will respond. https://twitter.com/Amy_Sharpton https://www.facebook.com/amysharpton http://www.tumblr.com/blog/amysharpton http://www.scoop.it/u/amy-sharpton http://www.slideshare.net/AmySharpton Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 14. INFORMATION ON LYME www.ILADS.org www.TBDAlliance.org www.columbia-lyme.org www.lymediseaseassociation.org www.LymeResearchAlliance.org Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved. 15. IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN. ~George Eliot~ My take: There is irony in the idea of lost time. When we find a way to make peace with it, to live for today, for this moment, life is sweeter. The dreams that once seemed so lost, so utterly out of reach, suddenly come into vision again. Perhaps lost time only makes it twice as sweet when we are well enough to finally become what we might have been. Copyright 2013 Dream In Focus Technologies. All Rights Reserved.