Dearest friends and friends of Iris.

Here’s the deal: Iris is scheduled for a medical

procedure for the bone spurs in her neck on Monday, Oct. 19th. She has had migraine

headaches with acute pain for over 20 years and gone through every possible treatment

to no avail. Then Dr. Katsuura in Novato ordered a CT scan of her neck and spine and

discovered the cause of her pain is bone spurs in her neck caused by arthritis. This is

also the cause of breathing problems because the spurs press on nerves.

Initially, Dr. Katsuura was going to do surgery to take off the spurs. However, this is a

very serious operation with a 6-month period of immobility. Instead, he is going to give

her a shot of PRP (platelet rich plasma.) This has had great results in similar cases;

however, it is not covered by insurance.

As most of you know, Iris busts her butt to keep her head above water. She works as

a caregiver and took over her mom’s salve business. Her daughter is a single mom and

is coping with some severe health issues of her own, and Iris has been helping her with

her expenses. It’s a daily struggle and doesn’t have wiggle room for this treatment.

So…a group of Iris’s friends is setting up this GoFundMe account. Our goal is to raise

$5,000. The procedure costs $2,500. On top of that will be a hotel room in Novato, food

& travel expenses, a week of lost income for her and 3-4 days for her daughter to take

her and help during recovery. And a little extra, because, well, we all need that

sometimes.

It’s hard for Iris to ask for money, but we have no hesitation here. Giving from the heart

is a life-affirming action. Please add what you can. No pressure if now isn’t the time. We

are sending this to a pretty substantial list and have great confidence we’ll reach our

goal.

Thank you,

Susan Treiman Finkelstein, Annie Lee, and Audrey Wells