Fight with Shannon

Shannon started showing symptoms over 8 years ago. During that time, she sought out four different doctors and went through many tests. The doctors all gave her the typical response of needing to eat better and get more exercise, despite Shannon being very active and a conscious eater. She was diagnosed with multiple autoimmune disorders, with suggested treatments and diets for these disorders never changing anything. 

​

Shannon's symptoms continued to worsen until she could barely function on a normal basis. This involved not being able to get out of bed, constant high fevers, no immune system so that she caught every bug, and much more. At this time, she gave in and sought out a specialist who dealt with strange, undiagnosed symptoms. After a battery of detailed tests that showed her body was being hit hard, Shannon was given a tick panel that came back loaded with results. Her doctor stated that the panel was "lit up like a Christmas tree" and she was lucky to be alive. She was officially diagnosed in June of this year, after things had already gotten to a breaking point.

​

It's important to note that tick borne illnesses have variations called "species." This is because they are bacterial, protozoan, and parasitic illnesses. Shannon was diagnosed with Lyme Disease (3 species total), Bartonella (2 species total), Tick Borne Reoccurring Fever (2 species total), Babesiosis, and Borrelia Miyamotoi Disease. Most of the species are rare or extremely rare. It is believed that she is only the 25th person in the world to contract one of the species. 

​

Treatment has involved an unavoidable process called "die off." Because Shannon was left so long with so many illnesses, the species had plenty of time to populate every inch of her body. Die off itself can cause more damage and even death to the patient if it's not approached properly. So, navigating it has been what her doctor calls "a gray area." Large amounts of bacteria are being flushed into her system, causing symptoms to get much worse, during the process. Since Shannon was already very sick and was suffering from head to toe, the die off and treatment hit harder than they even prepared for.

​

Shannon's heart has been severely affected, on top of treatment keeping her very sick. This has left her bed-ridden and unable to get around easily. At any moment, more symptoms could appear or worsen, leaving her in a very vulnerable state. They have had to slow down treatment in order to address her heart, which has caused things to take much longer than first expected. With being so sick, Shannon and her husband, Jay, have had to halt their photography business altogether, which was the entirety of their income. 

​

Her husband, Jay, is her caretaker 24/7 as most days, even getting to the bathroom can be rough. Due to this, he has been unable to go get a new full time job. They've depleted their savings and sold everything they can to help make ends meet. Due to the type of facility that treats her, they have to pay in full for every visit before they leave. They do not have health insurance, causing everything to be out of pocket, on top of it all. Even if they had insurance, post insurance companies do not yet recognize treatments for tick borne illness as date is decades out of date.

​

If you know Shannon at all, you know she's a hard worker and is fighting as hard as she can to get better and return to her business, music, etc. that she loves so dearly. Continued prayers are always welcomed as Shannon stumbles through this intense battle.