Kimberly Beauchemin/Radomski hasn't added a story.
Hi, my name is Kimberly and I have led an active life as a makeup artist for over 40 years, bridal, stage and corrective design and I also like to teach how to apply the makeup so that people can learn how to make themselves feel confident in their skills. I love to sing and volunteer at Macomb Center for the Performing Arts as a makeup artist, I just love it! I also volunteer for The AARDA, the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association and have made many friends along the way. I love family and friends and enjoy being as active as possible. I have done all of this while living with MS and I hope my story helps others that are living with MS and going through the process of diagnosis and beyond. Misdiagnosis seems to affect so many of us, and can even cause more damage, before we find the right professional to recognize the symptoms.
Please read and share my story of Multiple Sclerosis. I have secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis as I had been diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis and Psoriasis at the age of 13 yrs old prior to being diagnosed with MS.
I woke up one morning and could not get out of bed as I cannot move my legs or left arm. I am only 18 yrs old. I went to the hospital and was admitted for a week, but only to be discharged by the Doctors with no diagnosis except that I still cannot walk.
Several Weeks go by and I’m getting worse, I have red raised nodules on my shins of my legs below my knees. I'm back in a different hospital and they put warm towels on my legs to soothe the nodules. They take pictures of the rash on my legs for a medical book. The nodules are warm to the touch and very painful. The doctor’s are baffled and send me home again with no diagnosis.
After being home for a few weeks with horrific pain in my legs, I’m finally carried in by my father and again admitted to a different hospital.
The doctors tell my parents that they think there may be fluid in my ankles because they are inflamed, swollen and red and that if they pull fluid out of my ankles chances are I will never walk again. But thank God there was no fluid.
They also thought it could have been Polio or Rheumatic fever but were not positive and so I spent the next 9 months in a wheelchair, because I just could not walk.
I was receiving steroid injections in my ankles and taking liquid painkillers just to be able to stand from the wheelchair. Then just as fast as all of these symptoms appeared they also disappeared until 1995.
It’s now May in the year of 1995.
I am giving birth to my second son by C-section. During this 3-day experience the symptoms that I had were severe tremors and headache. The nurse said it was normal after a C-section. I didn’t agree, as these tremors were involuntary and uncontrollable . The Doctors had prescribed Ativan for these Tremors.
After a few days, my husband and I left the Hospital and took our baby home. Two nights later after being at home I had to go back to the E.R. as I had a severe headache and my blood pressure was up. The doctors gave me a CT scan and a shot of Demerol, and sent me home. They said I was fine. I knew I was not.
The very next day, I literally woke up feeling like I only had a head in the bed!! I could not feel my body parts especially from the neck down to my toes and I had no control of their movements. I was numb and unable to walk without assistance. Today, I have learned that what I had experienced has a name, “PROPRIOCEPTION”, another major symptom of MS.
At this point my speech started to slur. My husband drove me back to the hospital. By the time I entered the emergency room, I had no vision, I was blind and within hours, I felt as if I were paralyzed. I could not respond to any of the doctor’s commands. I simply did not know how to respond. Yet I could hear every word they spoke.
After being admitted for weeks and after undergoing many, many tests and having had Nitroglycerin put under my tongue every few hours, the only diagnosis that I received was that I had Post Partum Psychosis and that I needed to see a Psychiatrist.
Although, I remember a Neurologist checking my balance before I was discharged, and because I had a slight responding reflex; he said I was fine, yet... I still could not see or walk correctly. I had no perception of time or space or even where I was. I also had spasmodic dystonia in my vocal cords. I could not drive a car, as I didn't know how? I relied on my husband for everything that had to do with thinking.
It was my Psychiatrist who said I had every symptom of Multiple Sclerosis and suggested that I see a MS specialist.
So I made an appointment to see an MS specialist who finally diagnosed me with Multiple Sclerosis. He was also very upset at the other so-called educated Doctors, as they had no idea as to what they were looking at when viewing my MRI’s.
He said it showed that I had MS on all multiple MRI’s. What were they thinking?
In June of 2001, I was told by this MS Specialist that I had a secondary disease diagnosis called Multiple Sclerosis. I had to undergo speech and cognitive therapy for almost 3 years and I had to be detoxed from a medication called Ativan that I was now addicted too from a Doctors prescription for the Tremors caused by MS and was now shutting down my digestive system. All because of a misdiagnosis.
As of May 29th, 2019, I can not walk very far or stand very long as I was in a recent auto accident in May 29th , 2019 and broke my back. This is an added unfortunate but I know that with the help of people like you who care and with the help of the Alinker, I would be walker and transport chair free!!
I feel that telling my story may benefit others out there who may be experiencing or have already experienced this same kind of situation. I’m also telling my story so that we who really need something like the Alinker can continue to help us to stay active and live healthy. I look forward to a new found life with your help in funding this incredible Alinker. I am forever grateful to you.
Thank you so very very much.
Kimberly R.
The campaigns are about sharing. Most people have no idea what life is like when you live with MS or what happens after you have a stroke. Isolation is often a bigger problem than the symptoms of the disease itself. With the campaigns we can share and educate people, because it can happen to all of us. When we create a movement where people simply show up for each other, it might get a bit ‘safer’ and less ‘scary’ to engage with each other. Some people share their experiences on their campaign, others share their funds to support the campaigns. It is not about asking for money, it is creating an opportunity for people to learn and show up with #generosity. Being generous resonates with who we are as humans. We understand generosity deeply and when you practice it, you feel so much better
PLEASE NOTE
- The campaigns are in USD $, and since to the pandemic the price increased from September onwards $2950 USD. This includes the Alinker, shipping, process and campaign fees and our #AlinkerFamily support.
- The campaigns are all or nothing, no credit cards are charged unless the campaign reaches its goal.
- As soon as the campaign reaches its goal, we ship an Alinker (from direct stock or you'll be placed in line, delivery 6-8 weeks).
- Campaigners do not handle money. On disability or welfare, you cannot handle money without being penalized, but you can receive an Alinker !
- When the campaign raises more than the goal, the campaigner can chose another campaign which we then make the donation to, paying it forward, or the balance will be placed in our Collective Campaign to help future campaigners.
- If you want to start a campaign and are outside Canada or the USA, write an email to stephanie@thealinker.com. We can potentially get a shipping quote to where you live, and include that in the campaign goal, though we like to keep shipping at a minimum, so we will not ship anywhere beyond $250 shipping costs.
Together we build a movement of kindness and generosity, because we all need it
Why do we facilitate crowdfunding on our site?
We believe that the Alinkers should be available for everybody, regardless of income and people who start a crowdfunding campaign here, will have access to a life changing Alinker. These crowdfunding campaigns are the first step to make Alinkers available for everybody. BE and the Alinker company are now putting their energy together to build a generous community around all the campaigners! The campaigners are people who allow others to show up generously, give them love!
Here is the Alinker segment as was aired on CBS Innovation Nation October 2019 - https://youtu.be/pk96VDkJ9NU
Why an Alinker?
Generally, medical devices are a technical solution for a body with a
problem.
The Alinker is designed for who we are, a whole human
being, who wants to live an active and engaged life. We are a human,
we have a body. Whether we miss a leg of have MS, it does not change
who we are.
Yet the world we live in, treats us as a body with a problem, which creates a social divide between people based on their body, based on what we have, not on who we are. Isolation and loneliness are more devastating than the disease itself. So we need to show up for each other, acknowledge each other and be present to who we are.
These campaigns are here to bridge the gap between a high quality custom Alinker, and the people who live at the receiving end of a 'sickcare' system that drives people into poverty.
So, show up, be radically generous, it is something we humans really
understand.
When you read each story in each campaign, pause and
imagine who that person is, and why they started the campaign, reach
out to them, let them know they are surrounded and seen, heard and not
alone. When we do that, we feel better and create a safer community
where we know we can show up for each other. It connects us with our
essence, we are radically generous creatures, we just got a little
lost in systems that are not designed for our wellness.
Alinkers change lives, here are a few people
GO TO CROWDFUND, WHY, HOW, START
Who is the Alinker for?
The Alinker is for people who want to stay active, regardless of mobility challenges.
To operate and use the Alinker you must have the ability to:
- walk to some degree
- flex and extend your legs
- bear weight on one leg briefly while getting on and off the Alinker
- be consciously aware of your surroundings
- be aware of your ability and limitations
What is the Alinker?
The Alinker is an exceptionally cool, three-wheeled walking bike
for humans with mobility constraints. It’s not a medical device,
it’s a lifestyle tool, designed to enable users to lead active and
socially engaged lives — at eye level.
On the Alinker, users sit upright -- at eye level with standing
companions. Weight is supported by the seat with no stress on the
lower body, while handle bars provide additional support. Feet remain
on the ground, keeping users stable and safe.
GO TO CROWDFUND, WHY, HOW, START
Together we'll make this work, in kindness and from the heart
Highlights
See all activityUpdates
Activity
Related fundraisers for our cause
Delete media item?
Delete this item from the media gallery? It will also be deleted from any related story update.
Set as ?
The campaign video will appear in social media and email.
The campaign cover picture will appear in social media and email.
The will appear at the top of your campaign page and in social media and email.
Reset ?
It will be removed from the top of your campaign and won't be used as default in social media and email. The will remain in the media gallery.
Embed
Share a link
Delete update
Delete this story update?
Any pictures or videos will remain in the campaign's media gallery.
Report campaign
Report submitted
Thank you. We take reports like yours very seriously. Our goal is to keep the community safe.
Please know that we may contact you for more information, but that we won't notify you personally of our decision. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Thank you. We've already received your previous report. If the campaign remains available within a few days, it's likely that we determined it not to be in violation of our policies.
Tell us about the problem. Please fill in both fields below.
Record a video
Upload a video
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Take a minute or two to record one now. Record a short video message of support. Or upload one from your device. You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Nothing grabs attention for your cause like a personal video. Upload a short video message of support. Upload a short video message of support. Or record one right now.
- Most effective video length: about a minute.
- Maximum length: 5 min.
- You can preview or redo your video before you post it.
Heads up! The existing video will be replaced.
Email your friends
Join our team
Tell people why our cause matters to you. Your personal message will encourage others to help. Easy, effective, optional.
Say it in video
Short personal videos by supporters like you are incredibly powerful. Record one right now and you'll help us raise more money. Easy, optional, effective.
Add a personal goal
Set a personal fundraising goal. You'll encourage more contributions if you do. And rest easy. There's no obligation to achieve your goal or bad consequences if you don't. Easy, optional, effective.
We have a video!
Video thumbnail
We'd love to show you our campaign video. Want to take a look?
, you're already on the team.