Cameron's Scoliosis Fund
Donation protected
We are a group of family and friends of Connie & Craig Raiford requesting help on their behalf, for their daughter Cameron. Any time your child is sick, it is difficult. However, this family went from planning to help their daughter transition into high school, to accepting the fact that she has to have major, life changing surgery in less than 90 days. Any donation you can make to help this family will be greatly appreciated.
Cameron attends Factory Shoals Middle School in Douglasville, GA. She is an intelligent, funny, caring, and athletic 14-year-old. She’s played basketball, participated in gymnastics and has been cheerleading since she was 11 years old. Ever since her family could remember, Cameron could run. And run fast. Her middle school P.E. coaches noticed how fast she could run, and have consistently encouraged her to run track.
She had plans to do that, until just a few weeks ago. Cameron has scoliosis, an unnatural curvature of the spine. She and her parents were told by her pediatrician when she was almost 12 years old, that she had small curvature of her of spine. It caused Cameron no discomfort so her family thought that it is was nothing to worry about. But between ages 13 and 14 Cameron had a growth spurt. This caused the rapid progression of the scoliosis. As Cameron was preparing for bed on February 2, her Mom noticed something shockingly different. What her mother saw, in her own words, were her daughter’s “twisted spine, uneven shoulders, and a shoulder blade protruding out as if it was dislocated”.
They immediately went to the doctor and were referred to an Orthopedic surgeon. On February 8, 2017, Cameron and her family received the devastating news that the severity of the curvature could only be fixed with surgery. They were also advised and that her spine has already begun to press on her left lung, surgery was needed, immediately. During her 6-8-hour surgery, Cameron will have hooks and screws attached to her spine then anchored to long rods to bring her spine upright as possible. Cameron’s surgery is scheduled for April 25, 2017 at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Cameron will be home recovering for 4 weeks after surgery. It is projected that it will be a least six months before she can begin to resume her normal activities. She won’t be able to pick up or hold her two-year-old sister Coree for months. The bond between Cameron and Coree is beautiful and Cameron said not being able to play with her for a while will be hard.
She will miss out on the last days of school and won’t be able to enjoy any of the fun things she planned to do with friends this summer. But, in spite of all of that, she is in good spirits. She’s positive and strong, but just hates that she’ll miss going to Six Flags, skating, and swimming. That is why we want to bring summer early to Cameron. We’d love to host a summertime/beach themed party for her before her surgery. And maybe give her a few days at the beach too! Donations made will go toward both Cameron’s Early Summertime party and will assist with the substantial medical expenses, her parents' unpaid leave from work to care for Cameron, therapy sessions, a brace, and the continued care of her 2-year-old sister Coree.
The scoliosis journey is difficult, emotional, and very expensive. Our prayers are, that through your compassion and love, you can support our efforts. Your donations, words of encouragement and prayers are appreciated.
Your contribution will go a long way toward making Cameron’s wishes come true and aid in her recovery. Thank you for your time and on behalf of the Raiford family, thank you in advance for your support.
Cameron attends Factory Shoals Middle School in Douglasville, GA. She is an intelligent, funny, caring, and athletic 14-year-old. She’s played basketball, participated in gymnastics and has been cheerleading since she was 11 years old. Ever since her family could remember, Cameron could run. And run fast. Her middle school P.E. coaches noticed how fast she could run, and have consistently encouraged her to run track.
She had plans to do that, until just a few weeks ago. Cameron has scoliosis, an unnatural curvature of the spine. She and her parents were told by her pediatrician when she was almost 12 years old, that she had small curvature of her of spine. It caused Cameron no discomfort so her family thought that it is was nothing to worry about. But between ages 13 and 14 Cameron had a growth spurt. This caused the rapid progression of the scoliosis. As Cameron was preparing for bed on February 2, her Mom noticed something shockingly different. What her mother saw, in her own words, were her daughter’s “twisted spine, uneven shoulders, and a shoulder blade protruding out as if it was dislocated”.
They immediately went to the doctor and were referred to an Orthopedic surgeon. On February 8, 2017, Cameron and her family received the devastating news that the severity of the curvature could only be fixed with surgery. They were also advised and that her spine has already begun to press on her left lung, surgery was needed, immediately. During her 6-8-hour surgery, Cameron will have hooks and screws attached to her spine then anchored to long rods to bring her spine upright as possible. Cameron’s surgery is scheduled for April 25, 2017 at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Cameron will be home recovering for 4 weeks after surgery. It is projected that it will be a least six months before she can begin to resume her normal activities. She won’t be able to pick up or hold her two-year-old sister Coree for months. The bond between Cameron and Coree is beautiful and Cameron said not being able to play with her for a while will be hard.
She will miss out on the last days of school and won’t be able to enjoy any of the fun things she planned to do with friends this summer. But, in spite of all of that, she is in good spirits. She’s positive and strong, but just hates that she’ll miss going to Six Flags, skating, and swimming. That is why we want to bring summer early to Cameron. We’d love to host a summertime/beach themed party for her before her surgery. And maybe give her a few days at the beach too! Donations made will go toward both Cameron’s Early Summertime party and will assist with the substantial medical expenses, her parents' unpaid leave from work to care for Cameron, therapy sessions, a brace, and the continued care of her 2-year-old sister Coree.
The scoliosis journey is difficult, emotional, and very expensive. Our prayers are, that through your compassion and love, you can support our efforts. Your donations, words of encouragement and prayers are appreciated.
Your contribution will go a long way toward making Cameron’s wishes come true and aid in her recovery. Thank you for your time and on behalf of the Raiford family, thank you in advance for your support.
Organizer and beneficiary
Sabrina Flemister
Organizer
Lutz, FL
Constance Raiford
Beneficiary
