UPDATE

January 2014

Dr. Jones estimates that he will need to raise $23,000 by next Wednesday, January 15 in order to keep his office open. He apologizes for having to issue yet another urgent plea of this nature, and wishes that he could be checking in simply to wish you a happy new year.

Charles Ray Jones, M.D.

Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine

Lyme Disease

111 Park Street, First Floor

New Haven, CT 06511

Tel: (203) 772-1123

Fax: (203) 772-0682

November 23, 2013

Dear Friends,

My update for the community is overdue. I'm happy to report that my

leg finally is healing well, and that the rather large basal cell

carcinoma on my face has been successfully removed. I'm now awaiting

cataract surgery, and very soon will be ready to run marathons again!

(well, maybe only a half-marathon...)

The need to take care of these matters prevented me from presenting at

the ILADS conference in San Diego this year, but I'm delighted that I

had a second opportunity to share important information as a speaker at

the recent conference on PANDAS/PANS in Providence on November 9-10.

Dr. Jeanne Hubbuch and I presented on the role of Lyme disease in these

disorders. I am proud and humbled to have shared the podium with some

of the leading researchers in the field, including Dr. Madeleine

Cunningham and Dr. Susan Swedo. I have become passionate about the

potential impact of infection-induced autoimmune encephalopathy on many

Lyme sufferers, especially our children, triggering a range of

neuropsychiatric symptoms. As Madeleine Cunningham has said, work of

this nature has the capacity to revolutionize how we think of

psychiatric illness!

I also am delighted to report that, because of your support, I have

continued to be able to maintain my office and clinical practice,

despite the need to cut back my hours. This has allowed me to

investigate these disorders, as well as to treat the children. The

monitoring of my practice is scheduled to end in March, 2014. Happily,

no infractions have been reported by the monitor. The monitoring

requirement been very stressful for my office, however, with

preparation for the monthly visits over the past four years taking

hours of time and energy. I am grateful to my colleagues for their

establishment of a fund to assist with the very high monitor fees.

In my previous updates, I have explained the several factors which have

resulted in a reduction in my income, including the medical procedures

that I have needed to have done, and highly complex pediatric cases

that require lengthier appointments and treatment planning. As a

result, I see fewer patients on many days, and this situation is likely

to be ongoing. After a careful assessment of our financial viability

going forward, I estimate a revenue shortfall of $25,000 per month. In

order to keep the practice open, I will require continued financial

support, which you have been providing so generously over the past

several, very challenging years.

It pains me deeply to have to reach out to you on such a frequent

basis, when you already have been so generous. But I have taken to

heart your many letters, phone calls and other expressions of support,

including the requests that I keep the community informed and allow you

to participate in the decision to keep my office open. My hope for a

long-term solution is the creation of a not-for-profit organization

that will be dedicated to research and the treatment of these complex

diseases, so that your children are able to receive the medical care

they require.

Under these circumstances, if you would like to help by making another

donation, please send it as soon as possible because, once again, our

bills are due. If you are in a position to donate on a monthly basis,

as some of you do already, please indicate your commitment to do so

when you make your donation, or send us a reply email stating “monthly

donor” in the subject line. In future letters, I will keep you

informed about my financial situation and let you know when and if

additional funds are no longer needed.

Donations may be sent to me in one of two ways:

Option #1: Checks may be sent to the following address: - be sure to

note "gift" in the memo field:

Charles Ray Jones, M.D.

111 Park Street - 1st Floor

New Haven, CT 06511

(Note “gift” in the memo field)

Option #2: Paypal: Donations may be made online through a link which

is available on the Facebook page for the Children’s Lyme Disease

Network, which goes directly to my Paypal account. You must have

access to Facebook in order to utilize this link:

https://www.facebook.com/childrenslymenetwork.

Again, thank you for all of the caring and support you have extended to

me and to my office staff over these past several years. I wish you a

very happy Thanksgiving, and look forward to hearing from you as soon

as possible!

With gratitude,

Dr. Jones

Charles Ray Jones, M.D.