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One Small Act of Kindness Can Change The World

6/18/2018

6 Comments

 
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I have always believed that one small act of kindness can create a ripple affect & change the world. It often feels like it's just one small drop in the bucket, but all those little drops come together and overflow. 

A few years ago I did a Random Act of Kindness project where each month I found someone in need and curated a surprise care package for them with the help of a family member or friend. They never found out it was me, unless the family member I worked with told them, but I preferred to stay anonymous. I did this for 12 months & it was a really incredible experience. I followed it up with Random Acts of Kindness - Part 2 the following year and took on two more recipients. I know how isolating it is to be sick with a chronic illness, and my heart is always hurting for those who are alone and struggling as well.

Then, as many of you know I had the big May Giveaway & that included $11,000+ of healthcare items that many of you received! It was an incredible experience, but I still want to do more.

So this year I wanted to try and rally this community of amazing warriors & see if we can help one family in need. If we can change the life of this one family struggling with Lyme Disease as a collective effort, how incredible would that be? And before you close out of this post, please hear me out. My goal is raise $1,000 and that means that even just donating $1 or $5 will collectively add up, and if you hear what this will go towards then I believe you will understand what a HUGE impact it will make.

I want to help a wonderful fellow warrior named Phoebe. I met Phoebe via the connections I made during the Giveaway, and we began to chat about our various stories and experiences with Lyme etc. I learned that she is a Mother to two amazing children who are sadly also ill (just like Phoebe is) with Lyme disease. She is divorced and has sadly had to put most of her money into a continuous legal battle on that end, and on top of that she lost her home to mold and had to leave every single bit of their possessions behind. She lost it all, and her children lost it all too. They are now sharing a small room in a relative's home as Phoebe tries to afford treatment for her children amidst rebuilding her life and fighting for custody. 

Now Phoebe is not someone to outright ask for help from others. She tried for a very long time to get assistance from various Lyme grants for treatment for her children. Unfortunately, organizations like LymeLight Foundation require certain test results for them to give out Grants (as is the case with other orgs), and Phoebe does not have the funds to pay for these tests. I was the one who approached her and asked if she would allow me to try and help. If she could just get the 2 DNA Connextions tests ($500 each) for her 2 children then she could get the set up with LymeLight Foundation & that is her biggest goal. She never once asked for anything for herself, it was always about her children first and how she can get them the treatment that they need ASAP. 

Phoebe created a GoFundMe about a month ago when someone else offered to help her and asked that she create one. However, when it got made that person backed out and it just sat there collecting internet dust. I asked her if she would be willing to have faith in me that through this amazing community of readers we might be able to rally together to help her. $1,000 is all she needs to get her children into treatment and help give them a chance at a healthy life. I KNOW that if everyone who reads this donates even $1 that we can achieve that. The GoFundMe is set at $5000 because the person who asked her to create it set that budget, but Phoebe is specifically asking for $1,000 (just to clarify). Please donate any amount you can, and further PLEASE share this. Share this post in groups, share it on social media, text it to friends, email it to family, etc. Whatever you can do on that end will help immensely. 

You can read the full story about Phoebe HERE on her GoFundMe page, and if you want to speak to her personally please email me at cskova01@ladyoflyme.com and I will gladly put you in touch. 
Read Phoebe's Story Here
If you made it this far, thank you for reading. I will send a personal note & small token of my appreciation to each and every person who donates, as a thank you for rallying with me.
  • For every $1 Donation I will send you a handwritten note
  • For every $15 or more Donation I will send you a handmade mini canvas artwork. NOT made with any paint, but rather metal elements (no glue, VOC's or fumes of any kind)

If you make a donation on either tier I will see on the GoFundMe, but in order for me to have your address you will need to email it to me. So once you're done with making the donation just email me at cskova01@ladyoflyme.com and I will get your item out to you! I know that we can change the lives of these kids for the better, and Lyme Disease does NOT need to ruin their whole life. Together we can stop this, and we can made a difference. 

Thank you,
Christina 
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6 Comments

Lady of Lyme Giveaway: Thoughts & Reflections

6/11/2018

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I had planned to write this post as soon as the Giveaway finished so I could do a whole recap of my thoughts, emotions, feelings etc. But then I was reminded by my body that I'm not quite as healthy as I'd like to fool myself into thinking, and I promptly crashed for about a week. During this time it felt like no amount of sleep was enough, and I could barely wake up to eat or drink. This was very appropriate though, given that the theme of the Giveaway was Lyme Disease Awareness Month. This disease makes life very unpredictable, and often when you think you've got the upper hand it reminds you that you don't. All month long I was genuinely just praying that I would be well enough to get through the whole month, and I think I ran on pure adrenaline and determination. But then, by the time June rolled around, the entire house of cards I had built came crashing down. So I slept slept slept, and then slept some more. 

I don't share that story as a "poor me" or anything even remotely close. It's more so to point out the great irony of it all, and also to say just how thankful I am to have successfully gotten through! I want to focus more on that and less on the crash afterwards, because truthfully even a year ago I wouldn't have made it past the first week. So, for me it's all a big personal victory!

Now, on to the Giveaway itself!

I want to say a sincere "Thank You" to each and every person who participated & made this so much fun. This might sound extremely cheesy, but I feel like I met some wonderful people along the way. It's a little bit more tough on Facebook to properly connect with others because as a 'Page' I can't have actual friends or follow any individual people. However, I felt like everyone I saw time and time again sort of became a friend as I recognized names & had a few private chats via DM's. Much is the same on Instagram & Twitter, I loved hearing from people all over the World & again I know this sounds cheesy but it truly made me feel less alone.

The biggest reason I wanted to create this Giveaway was so help others isolated by invisible illnesses feel heard & seen and loved. I didn't imagine that along the way it was actually ME who would end up feeling all of those things. The complete outpouring of kindness from so many of you who lifted me up & reminded that you saw all the work that went into it meant so much. I really can't fully express how special each nice message was. I can only hope that all of you who participated (and hopefully won too), felt a little bit of that magic as well.

And that brings me to my next topic. During the whole Giveaway I cycled between joy for all the amazing items these companies donated, thankfulness for my Sponsors, and also sadness because I still wanted to do more. Each day when I was typing up the entries for the drawings I had this immense feeling of sadness that I didn’t have the means to make everyone a winner. Drawing a winner always left me sad for those who didn’t get it, and wishing so badly that I could do more. When I started this whole Giveaway event I went into it thinking, “wow, I have over $10,000 worth of stuff, this is going to do SO much!” However as the Giveaway kept running that perspective got lost on me, and all I could focus on were all of those who didn’t get chosen and who I wasn’t able to help.
 
I had to remind myself (for my own sanity) that I am one person. Rather, I am one sick patient who is fighting just like all of you, juggling my health and trying to heal from a disease that took so much of my life. I don’t have a company behind me, or any big donors or trust funds, nor do I even have a local support group of fellow advocates. It’s just me, and I am one person. What I can realistically do given my current situation is limited. And that’s a tough pill for me to swallow, because I have always been someone who wants to fix every wrong in this world, and I get so wrapped up in it that I forget to think of the flip side of the coin.
 
I’m mad that patient’s get forgotten & left out to dry with invisible illnesses. I’m livid that Lyme is being denied by the IDSA/CDC while people are left to suffer or die. These are the things that keep me up at night. In a perfect would I would be like Oprah 2.0 and open a pro-bono clinic where I could give everyone treatment, access to a dietician, a therapist, and all the detox/pain relief devices you could imagine. I daydream about winning the lottery one day and doing just that. Even if God willing I am healed of these dreadful illnesses, my heart will never walk way from advocacy for one simple reason: the patients. So many of you have touched my heart in ways I cant express, and I’d never be that person who got well and forgot. Quite the contrary, if I was healthier I would do more because I wouldn’t be so sick, exhausted & running on fumes like I am now.
 
But for now I am here in life. I am just a patient, with a blog, doing what I can. And for that, I am proud. I am over the moon at the success of this event, and just how wonderful and gratifying this entire experience was. The final count was $11,800 worth of items which were donated & distributed to over 320 winners! 

So I would like to end this post by saying a heartfelt THANK YOU to each and every donor who selflessly gave their products to this Giveaway to help make the lives of 300+ people that much brighter. And I want to Thank my generous Sponsors who believed in my vision and invested their money into this Giveaway so that I could afford to ship all the items (some overseas), and pay for those items which couldn't be donated but were desperately requested. Knowing that these Sponsors had that faith in me is what kept me going throughout it all. So, thank you Hopkinton Drug, LymeWell, Kings Daughters Medical Center & Deerbusters.

​If you were one of the winners and have a photo of your winnings that you can share, please email me at cskova01@ladyoflyme.com. You can also send it via a DM on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and if you have a little blurb to share about the item then I'd love to hear that too! I won't include your full name, but I wanted to make a little collage! So please do send me that if you are able! I know that many of you have posted photos on social media to share items and thank you SO much for those! 

I am happy to say that this Giveaway has opened up some doors for more Giveaway items here & there throughout the summer, so keep an eye out for that! For now I am going to take a mini break from this blog to rest & recoup! I will still be around, but if it takes me longer to reply to an email or see a social media post/message then please know thats why! I'm just giving myself a little extra TLC :)

-Christina


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2018 Lady of Lyme Giveaway: 31 Day Recap!

6/7/2018

3 Comments

 
In an effort to declutter my blog from 31 individual posts, and to make it easier to see everything in one spot, this post will be a collection of all 31 Giveaways! This way you can see what items were included & also who won each of the items! If you want to simply see a list of all the winners please go HERE, it's a Google Doc that has everyone listed. 
If you want to read more about the Lady of Lyme Giveaway & why I created it then please check out my blog post on that HERE. 

So without further adieu lets jump into it! 

Giveaway #1 - Schmidt's Naturals

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To kick off the Giveaway we have a prize pack from Schmidt’s Naturals for 4 lucky winners! Schmidt’s Naturals creates all natural, chemical & aluminum free deodorant, and fluoride free toothpaste. They scent everything with essential oils and don’t use any harsh chemicals. If you’ve ever wanted to make the switch to more natural personal care products, then you will love this Giveaway! I personally love this brand, and as I am a huge fan of everything Lavender I am in love with their Lavender deodorant! It smells amazing & really keeps me dry and smelling fresh with 0 allergic reactions! If you tend to have chemical sensitivities or mast cell type reactions to most items then this company is a safe bet! The prize pack will include a Deodorant and Toothpaste duo, so you can try them both out!

If you want to check out the products for yourself, or if you want to buy them for yourself you can find the toothpaste here & the deodorant here! 

Winners: Katie D, Macy H, Jenna M, Mona H


Giveaway #2 - 100 Relax Wraps Hot/Cold Therapy Wraps

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For Day 2 we have a HUGE Giveaway! Relax Wraps has donated 100 hot/cold therapy eye wraps for 100 lucky winners! These eye wraps are filled with 100% Flax seed and can be put in the freezer for cold therapy, or put in the microwave for heat therapy. Use it for headaches, migraines, insomnia, stress, sinus pressure & more! Relax Wraps is a wonderful family owned company who hand makes each and every item in Nashville TN. They are an incredibly generous and patient oriented company who takes great care in making sure all of their products will provide the best relief possible. I love their wraps, and they come in so many fun prints! They have an entire store full of wraps of all different sizes. What’s great about their larger sized wraps is that it also doubles as a weighted blanket for anxiety relief as well!

You can find Relax Wraps online at:
Relax Wraps Website
Relax Wraps Facebook Page
Relax Wraps Twitter Page
Relax Wraps Instagram Page

Winners: Too many to independently list for this one


Giveaway #3 - Tick Tock Naturals Insect Repellant & Candle Duo

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For Day 3 we have an incredible Giveaway from Tick Tock Naturals. They have generously donated Tick Repellant Spray & Candle Sets to 4 lucky winners! Tick Tock Naturals was founded by Dr. Susan Eisen, a holistic chiropractor who is all too familiar with Lyme Disease herself. After fighting this disease she was determined to create a natural organic tick repellant that would allow her to go outside without fear. Tick Tock Naturals is created with 100% essential oils, and completely non toxic! The candles are great to use outside on your patio to stay safe from mosquitos that also transmit many diseases. 

If you want to check out the products you can find the repellant spray here & the candle here.

Dr. Susan Eisen is very active in the Lyme Community, she is a member of the Benefit Committee for Global Lyme Alliance, and has partnered with LivLyme Foundation & Project Lyme. The spray she created is truly luxurious and a safe alternative to DEET, which is full of harmful chemicals.

You can find Tick Tock Naturals online at:
Tick Tock Naturals Website
Tick Tock Naturals Facebook Page
Tock Tock Naturals Instagram Page
Tick Tock Naturals Twitter Page
​
Winners: Aimee T, Margaret O, Dawn C, Jennifer L


Giveaway #4 - Thermotex Far Infrared Heating Pad

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For Day 4 we have an amazing Giveaway item from Thermotex. They have generously donated a Platinum Far Infrared Heating Pad ($250). What makes Thermotex heating pads so special is that they are engineered to relieve pain and inflammation with far infrared heat therapy that penetrates 10x deeper to increase blood flow. The Platinum System boasts 3 patented heat inserts which provide targeted safe infrared heat to every part of the body. Within just 20 minutes of use the infrared wavelengths penetrate 2.36” into the treatment area. These heating pads are incredible, they reach so deep & give a lot of relief. If you have joint pain, body pain, muscle pain, stiffness or inflammation then you will love this mat!

You can view the Platinum Mat here, and you can see their entire collection of Far Infrared items here. They have also generously given my readers a coupon code if you want to buy a mat for yourself or a friend. If you don't win the item or you want another one you can use code "LadyofLyme10" to get 10% off the entire online store. They have a ton of items ranging from mats all the way to pet beds if you have a cat or dog who has arthritis pain. 

You can find Thermotex online at:
Thermotex Website
Thermotex Facebook Page
Thermotex Twitter Page

Winner: Meghan V


Giveaway #5 - TWO $50 Lucky Vitamin Gift Cards!


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