Iris Santos

I’m giving this a shot, appreciate any help!! Love you guys!!  I have been really nervous to ask for help, but I am finally taking a leap of faith. For many years, I suffered from severe, life-threatening anorexia and malnutrition. It got so bad that last year I nearly passed away, I couldn’t walk, I weighed less than an 8 year old, and my body was failing. By the grace of God, I survived and I am fighting so hard to recover. I can walk again, but my body has been left with chronic damage.   Because I was so malnourished while I was growing up, my physical development was severely halted. I never really got to grow up. I missed out on finishing school, making friends, and instead spent my life stuck at home and in hospitals. My body had to consume itself to keep me alive, which left me with permanent structural damage to my chest, muscles, and skin. I am raising 7K for reconstructive, quality-of-life surgeries to repair these lasting physical effects of my illness. While the surgery isn’t medically necessary to keep me alive, it would completely change my quality of life. I just want to repair this damage so I can finally feel comfortable in the body that survived it all and have a brand new way of life. The surgery is to repair the physical damage left behind by severe malnutrition. It removes loose skin, reshapes parts of my body that became misshapen, and repairs scars or damaged tissue where possible. Update: After speaking with my doctor, I was told about a clinic that may be able to offer me a 12-month payment plan, which gives me so much hope. However, a payment plan doesn’t reduce the cost—it simply spreads the full €7,000 over 12 months. I’m still doing everything I can to pay for this myself, including saving as much as I can and even selling some of my belongings. That’s why I’m keeping my GoFundMe up. Any support, no matter how small, helps make those monthly payments a little more manageable and brings me one step closer to finally having this surgery. Thank you so much for reading, for your prayers, your kindness, your encouragement, and for simply being here. It truly means the world to me. God bless you all. ❤️