The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
Nerissa Zink, upper right, is pictured with her daughter, Ashtyn, and granddaughters, Stella and Jovi. Zink has been battling various health difficulties since 1997, and was later diagnosed with Lyme disease.
Scan the QR code to donate to Nerissa's fight!
Nerissa (Zieman) Zink has heard the phrase "It's all in your head" so much, but she knows that positivity isn't always the best cure.
Zink, a native of Carrington and the daughter of Holly and the late Rod Zieman, does her best to put on a strong face with an outwardly invisible enemy living within her body.
Since being diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2010, she has progressively become unable to work, achieve routine daily tasks without difficulty, and lives with constant pain, fatigue and cognitive issues.
With living expenses becoming overwhelming for Zink to continue to function independently, she is accepting donations through a benefit site, Lend A Hand Up, sponsored by the Dakota Medical Foundation at lendahandup.org.
A scannable QR code is within this article, where you can contribute directly to Zink to help her continue her fight.
Her health issues began in 1997 when she was bitten by a tick during a camping trip. Complications from the bite included viral meningitis and flu-like symptoms for around three months, but things seemed to resolve themselves in time for her to finish college.
She would begin her teaching career, later moving to Reno, Nev., in July 2002, and two more children were born, Ashtyn and Halle, to join older sister Marah.
Early in 2003, her symptoms returned. She tried to get answers from numerous physicians and specialists for her condition, which included fatigue, joint and nerve pain, migraine headaches and mysterious neurological symptoms.
Zink would be diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, and the medications and treatments she was given seemed to work for awhile.
During that period, she was able to start a dance business and resume teaching, along with enjoying life with her young family.
Things came to a head around seven years later in September 2010, when she discovered she was unable to move the right side of her body or speak coherently.
She would visit a clinic in Reno that utilized conventional and alternative treatments, and blood work revealed the sobering news: she had late-stage Lyme disease, along with multiple tick-borne infections, heavy metal toxicity and histamine intolerance.
After five months of treatment that bore little to no relief from her pain, the decision was made to move back to North Dakota to be closer to family.
Zink made enough progress through intravenous (IV) and oral antibiotics, along with a naturopathic doctor, that she returned to part-time teaching in 2014.
Since then, her disease has progressed to chronic Lyme disease, mold toxicity, chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) and other health issues.
Her condition has left her largely unable to work and support herself, and in May, she took a leave of absence to focus on health and healing.
Zink says that her treatments are complex, and are often not covered by insurance.
"It involves a combination of antibiotics, specialized therapies, dietary adjustments and holistic approaches," she wrote at her Lend A Hand Up page. "These treatments are crucial to managing my symptoms and regaining some semblance of normalcy in life."
Currently, Zink lives in Nashville, Tenn., under the care of a functional medicine doctor and chiropractic neurologist. Due to the significant toxin burden on her body caused by both mold and Lyme disease, she says the doctors are addressing the mold first so she can better handle the stress of Lyme treatments.
She asks for your support to raise funds for her fight, which will go directly toward treatment and living expenses.
"Every donation, no matter how small, makes a significant difference, and brings me one step closer to reclaiming my life," she says.
Zink also has two granddaughters who are the light of her world: Jovi and Stella.
For more information, contact Jess Johnson at (701) 866-4580, or e-mail ostensonjessica@yahoo.com.
About Lyme disease
Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, and is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of infected black-legged ticks. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches, brain fog, and neurological complications.
The bacterium can invade the skin, heart, joints, and the nervous system, and the immune response leads to inflammation and the release of toxins. Over time, toxins can contribute to chronic symptoms and persistent fatigue.
