As a recent honors graduate and a full-time mom, I’m striving to achieve my Master’s degree despite battling a challenging autoimmune condition. My treatment now requires strict sun avoidance, making everyday activities incredibly difficult. I’m seeking support to acquire vital UV protective gear, ensuring I can protect my health and fulfill my academic dreams.
My Name is Heather Campbell, and I’m Reaching Out for a Lifeline.
Life has thrown more than its fair share of challenges my way, but nothing compares to the relentless battle I’ve been fighting with an autoimmune condition. For too long, my body’s own immune system, which is supposed to protect me, has been attacking itself. This causes widespread inflammation that affects everything – my joints, muscles, brain, eyes, and even my voice. My consistent positive ANA titer of 1:320 with a speckled homogeneous pattern further confirms my immune system is misfiring.
It’s why I’m in constant, widespread pain, why I feel like my brain isn’t working (a debilitating brain fog), and why I’m so exhausted I feel completely drained, like a battery that won’t hold a charge.
When I have a “flare-up,” all these symptoms get dramatically worse, and it’s truly debilitating. Imagine trying to live your life when every single joint hurts, both at rest and with movement. My hands ache, and I can feel each joint in my feet. My shoulders feel like they’re popping in and out, and at night, they even feel like they’re “folding into each other across my chest,” making it impossible to get comfortable. I wake multiple times needing to change positions, and my hands and arms frequently go numb. My neck often “sticks” before cracking, and I have frequent headaches that sometimes cause visual “whiteouts” or “halos.” During a flare, my eyes feel like sandpaper, my vision worsens, and night driving is almost impossible due to starbursts around lights.
The Invisible Threat: Why Sunlight is Now My Enemy
The complexity of my illness just added a critical new layer: I’ve recently been prescribed Plaquenil, a medication often used for autoimmune conditions. This means that sunlight, which most people enjoy, has now become a dangerous trigger for me. For my body, even a brief sun exposure isn’t just a “sunburn” – it can trigger a full-blown internal immune attack, worsening my pain, fatigue, and other symptoms to an unbearable degree. To me, a sun exposure is like receiving a severe radiation burn that sets my entire body ablaze from the inside. I recently experienced this firsthand after being in 87-degree weather; my joints swelled, and all my symptoms flared intensely. Other triggers for me include stress (both emotional and physical) and overexertion/physical activity.
This isn’t an exaggeration; it’s a medical necessity.
My Dream: Education, Motherhood, and a Healthy Future
Despite these immense hurdles, I’m fiercely determined. I’m proud to say I’m a recent graduate with honors, and I plan to continue my education this fall to pursue my Master’s in Psychology, with the ultimate goal of teaching at the university level. This degree isn’t just a piece of paper; it’s my pathway to building a stable and meaningful future for myself and my children.
However, the reality is stark: without adequate sun protection, my commute, walks between classes on campus, and even simple trips to the grocery or taking my children to the park will trigger severe flares. These flares make it impossible to focus on my studies, attend lectures, or consistently care for my kids effectively. I simply cannot afford to get constantly sick from sun exposure, especially as I embark on this next rigorous phase of my academic journey.
This is not just physical; the constant pain, extreme fatigue, strict dietary restrictions (due to multiple food allergies as well as Alpha-Gal Syndrome), and now severe sun avoidance mean my life has shrunk down to almost nothing. It’s incredibly frustrating, isolating, and honestly, heartbreaking. I’m grieving the loss of the life I used to have, and it’s taking a huge toll on me mentally and emotionally. This support would not only protect my physical health but also lift an immense emotional burden, allowing me to focus on healing, learning, and being present for my children.
The Financial Reality: Why I Need Your Help
I know there are countless others in need, and it feels incredibly vulnerable and difficult to ask for help, especially when I see so many deserving causes. I want to assure you that I am genuinely seeking support for a critical need, and I’m not doing this lightly or out of greed. The reality is, the very items crucial for my well-being are incredibly expensive, and as a full-time student and a mom, I’m living on a very tight budget. I simply cannot afford to invest in the specialized UV protective clothing, window tint for my car, and ongoing high-SPF sunscreens that are now essential for my health and ability to function.
My goal is to raise $5,000 to cover the essential sun protection items I need to keep fighting and to stay in school:
* Specialized UV Protective Clothing: Long-sleeved shirts, pants, and jackets with a high UPF rating to shield my skin during my daily activities; Car Window Tinting: Crucial for protecting me during commutes, as even reflected light can be damaging; High-Quality, Broad-Spectrum Sunscreens: An ongoing necessity; Contingency:To cover unforeseen needs.
Every dollar you contribute is not just a donation; it’s an investment in my health, my education, and my ability to be the best mom and student that I can be. It’s a shield that allows me to step outside, attend classes, and live without the constant fear of debilitating flares.
Please, if you can, consider donating. Even if you’re unable to donate, sharing this campaign with your friends, family, or social networks would be an incredible act of kindness and could help me reach someone who can.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my story and for any support you can offer.
With immense gratitude,
Heather
