Donation protected
Hey friends! It’s me, Lisa!
Many of you know that that I’ve got some bad bones, but here’s the whole deal: I was born with unilateral talipes, aka one club foot. Due to the severity of the deformation, it had been speculated that I may not be able to walk at all. I underwent the Ponseti method (casting and bar bracing to reposition the foot) and didn’t achieve the desired results. I had surgery next, and it was okay for about ten years.
In my tweens, I had an appointment to check out these weird bones, and was informed that my joint had dislocated over time. I had another surgery, and a follow up to remove the screws they had embedded. After healing, my doctors were perplexed as to why I was still in pain.
During my freshman year of high school, I had a triple arthrodesis, which surgically fused the joints in my ankle together. The surgery would allow me more stability, and reduced pain, at the cost of reduced mobility. It was okay for about ten years, but I did come out of it with osteoarthritis.
While I’ve used a cane off and on for the past five years, winter of 2018-2019 has seen my cane (or walker) just about every day.
It’s time for a BONE TUNE UP.
I visited an orthopedic specialist, who let me know that my bones are in a bad place. Literally. My joint is now leaning inward, causing my my fibula to grind directly onto my heel bone. The surgery I need is classified as “reconstructive limb salvage” and would involve lengthening some short bones, shortening some protruding bones, installing a CADAVER tendon, and repositioning everything. It will alleviate a bulk of my pain and allow me to reclaim at least a potion of my life.
The plan after surgery is to get a custom offloading brace in attempts to alleviate more pain and potentially allow better mobility.
After tears and talks, Rudi and I have decided it’s best to schedule the surgery as soon as possible, May 9th. The full cost hovers in the $2,000-$2,400 range (including anesthesiologists, radiologists, and a CT scan), but the bulk is able to be broken down into a payment plan.
Because we’ve had to schedule this so quickly, we’re in a bit of a financial pickle. The surgeon requires an $800 deposit, but I’ll be out of work for about three weeks (and off my feet for three months) and unable to pay for some necessities and a few bills. We’re hoping to turn to our friends for a little assistance in these weird times, because it’s just simply too much for us so soon, but we gotta do it.
Help is always hard to ask for, but anything helps, and all help is super mega turbo appreciated.
Many of you know that that I’ve got some bad bones, but here’s the whole deal: I was born with unilateral talipes, aka one club foot. Due to the severity of the deformation, it had been speculated that I may not be able to walk at all. I underwent the Ponseti method (casting and bar bracing to reposition the foot) and didn’t achieve the desired results. I had surgery next, and it was okay for about ten years.
In my tweens, I had an appointment to check out these weird bones, and was informed that my joint had dislocated over time. I had another surgery, and a follow up to remove the screws they had embedded. After healing, my doctors were perplexed as to why I was still in pain.
During my freshman year of high school, I had a triple arthrodesis, which surgically fused the joints in my ankle together. The surgery would allow me more stability, and reduced pain, at the cost of reduced mobility. It was okay for about ten years, but I did come out of it with osteoarthritis.
While I’ve used a cane off and on for the past five years, winter of 2018-2019 has seen my cane (or walker) just about every day.
It’s time for a BONE TUNE UP.
I visited an orthopedic specialist, who let me know that my bones are in a bad place. Literally. My joint is now leaning inward, causing my my fibula to grind directly onto my heel bone. The surgery I need is classified as “reconstructive limb salvage” and would involve lengthening some short bones, shortening some protruding bones, installing a CADAVER tendon, and repositioning everything. It will alleviate a bulk of my pain and allow me to reclaim at least a potion of my life.
The plan after surgery is to get a custom offloading brace in attempts to alleviate more pain and potentially allow better mobility.
After tears and talks, Rudi and I have decided it’s best to schedule the surgery as soon as possible, May 9th. The full cost hovers in the $2,000-$2,400 range (including anesthesiologists, radiologists, and a CT scan), but the bulk is able to be broken down into a payment plan.
Because we’ve had to schedule this so quickly, we’re in a bit of a financial pickle. The surgeon requires an $800 deposit, but I’ll be out of work for about three weeks (and off my feet for three months) and unable to pay for some necessities and a few bills. We’re hoping to turn to our friends for a little assistance in these weird times, because it’s just simply too much for us so soon, but we gotta do it.
Help is always hard to ask for, but anything helps, and all help is super mega turbo appreciated.
Organizer
Lisa Schlaepfer
Organizer
Portland, OR