’90s Metal Star Reveals She Was ‘Medically Injured’: Karyn Crisis Launches GoFundMe

Karyn Crisis is asking for support after she says she was medically injured roughly three years ago. The former vocalist of metal band Crisis and current frontwoman of Karyn Crisis’ Gospel of Witches recently launched a GoFundMe page detailing her medical struggles, revealing that she has suffered a litany of medical issues and has been left “disabled and disfigured” after she went into Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW).

“I’m Karyn Crisis,” Crisis began the lengthy post. “Lots of people are asking me why I’m quiet, when I’m making new music, when are new classes coming out… This is me letting you know how I am. As a human, I’m not doing well at all. As a soul, I’m soaring. But as a soul in a human body, let’s get really real that for me, waking up and having a regular day does not exist for me anymore.”

Crisis went on to reveal that “2 years and 10 months ago I was medically injured, which as left me disabled and disfigured and facing unpredictable and violent attacks of pain daily, along with other complications.” The musician said that she no longer recognizes herself in the mirror, “can only walk on one foot, hobble, a few blocks. I cannot wear regular shoes, I have to customize them. I cannot regulate my body temperature: I am boiling hot and freezing cold at the same time.”

Crisis explained that her myriad of symptoms are the result of TSW, also known as red burning skin and steroid dermatitis, an adverse effect caused by prolonged inappropriate use of topical corticosteroids, according to the National Institutes of Health. Crisis explained the condition as “an entire body healing and re-organizing” and “apocalyptic process.”

“The skin oozes, tears itself open, turns fluorescent red, feels set on fire, causes so much pain my pulse can be felt on my cheeks, not to mention deep itch and the fact that water feels like acid,” she continued. “The skin becomes paper thin, then has to grow thick again, and repeat. Sensitivities to food and scents go up and down: eating can be a dangerous thing due to reactions, and then it smooths out and is fine on some level…until the cycles start again. These are not even te gruesome details… The way some people say ‘I had a shamanic dream where my body was ripped /chopped to pieces and then put back together’. I am living this, it’s not a dream.”

According to Crisis, she has “to constantly make specialized bandages. Some hours during the day I am mostly pain free and I work…then the rest of the day or evening I am just surviving the pain attack itself and then the reactions and other pain that goes on for various periods of time.. It’s really unpredictable.” She added that “the pain makes me unable to focus my mind, other times I seize the moments where I’m clear and calm. I live life more slowly, because I cannot be active as Iwas before.”

Although Crisis said the dermatologist who prescribed her the topical creams initially offered to help her get on disability, “when I made the appointment for that, she gaslighted me and only wrote a ‘note’ and refused to help with the disability process.”

Crisis said she created the GoFundMe page hoping to get the help that she needs, including “physical therapy for my feet since I’ve not been able to walk on one and both are mangled,” as well as numerous “other issues needing to tend to.”

“I’ve found a practitioner to help with some symptom support. I don’t know when I’ll be better. I’ve already had some moments where I thought everything was healing up, only for the cycles to begin again,” she continued. “Unless you’ve been through this, it’s difficult to explain and has only been recently accepted by the medical field. I’ve already tried a ton of natural means to heal my original issue for why I took the corticosteroids, even before this happened, but most don’t work for me. I’ve also invested in brain retraining, somatic therapy for the trauma of this, pain management.”

The GoFundMe has raised more than $11,000, more than double the initial $5,000 goal, for Crisis’ ongoing care and treatments.