KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Friends of Chris Dresdow have been rallying around her for nearly a year now. Dresdow was diagnosed with advanced stage Lyme disease and is paying thousands of dollars each month to fight it. Suzanne Bobo and Vic Downing have been fundraising for Dresdow since last spring and this week were guests on KMXT’s Talk of the Rock. As Downing explains, the disease can be debilitating to health and finances.
— (Lyme 1 :22 "It’s extremely expensive to treat because insurance companies don’t reimburse it because it’s not recognized as a legitimate illness, because of politics and economics. The cost of treating this ranges between $2500 and $5000 a month and if not caught soon enough it can be fatal."
Not much is known about the disease. Downing says that it can be misdiagnosed as a number of other ailments.
— (Lyme 2 :28 "It’s very often confused with rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia or malaise or depression, any number of other things, principally because it’s not well known. It’s not well known because the insurance industry hasn’t yet verified to its satisfaction that it’s a legitimate disease and of course it did they would have to pay for its treatment and therein lies the rub."
A silent art auction is planned for February 12th at King’s Diner to benefit Dresdow. Downing says if you can’t make the event you can still contribute.
— (Lyme 3 :35 "Some people might not be able to show up to the event but would still like to help Chris and one of the ways to do that is to stop at and Wells Fargo bank and say ‘I want to make a donation to the Kodiak Cares for Chris Dresdow account’ and some people have been doing that. We’ve raised and spent over $20,000 since we began this last spring. Again, $2500 to $5000 a month adds up pretty fast."
Chris Dresdow is the wife of Father Innocent at the Holy Resurrection Orthodox Cathedral.
