Hello my name is Brad I'm 42 years young and I am here asking for help.  If you know me it is not easy for me to ask for help for anything but I could use a hand to help get me better.  I am in need of a specialized compression machine and suit to wear daily.  This machine will help to push body fluid from my swollen leg and abdomen to a Lymph node that is working in my body to help circulate and remove the used fluid in my body.  I have this condition called Lymphedema caused from a black widow spider bite from 3 years ago to my leg.  The severe infection it caused in my leg killed my lymph system in my leg and lower abdomen so my body pumps good fluid to my limbs but does not pump back for recirculation.  So I am in desperate need of this machine to help my body function semi properly to reduce the size of my limb and allow me to get my mobility back.  With this swelling in my leg I have been reduced to barely being able to walk and being exhausted from hauling around a heavy leg as the fluid on my body has increased my weight substantially.  I do work a full time job 8 to 5pm monday thru friday with insurance through my job.  Insurance will not cover the cost of the equipment and has denied me and my doctor 3 times for the equipment.  They say it is not life threating and there is no need for the machine.  What people do not understand about lymphedema is that the fluid does not stop building in the leg.  It keeps building in the body until it hits a good lymph node to drain back to recycle through the body.  With that I am left with a 160lb leg to walk with during the day and by the time work is over I am exhausted from dragging it around all day.  I am constantly in a numb pain like restless leg syndrome and pressure so tight I feel like my foot is about to pop off my leg.  I am currently seeing several doctors at UTSW Medical Center in Dallas Tx undergoing several test to come up with a plan on how to attack this to give me some what of a normal life.  I am currently having to go to rehab 3 times a week to learn of ways to help wrap the leg and massage the leg to help move the fluid to better parts of the body.  With this money that I am trying to raise I am going to get my machine I need and payoff the doctors bills that have piled up.  So if you can and or are willing to help I would be eternally grateful for anything you could spare to meet this goal of mine.  If you cant spare to donate please share this with your network of friends and family please.  

Thank You

Bradley Higginbotham

Update

They did an ultrasound to check my liver and spleen to see if they could be an underlying condition that is causing more of the swelling throughout my body.  Results to come after a few more test.  I will keep everyone updated.