Lukes Fight For A Cure

As many of you know I've been dealing with a lot in the past few days. I left Georgia on the 28th of May to return to Colorado to prepare for a 14 day trip to Yosemite national park. I only had one thing to do before I left and that was to go to a follow up appointment with my Orthopedic doctor because of lingering foot and back pain. The whole time I was thinking I was just sore from a long ski season and just wear and tear from the active and sometimes stupidly daring things I do like propel my self off cliffs in the backcountry of Vail. That would seem like a logical reason but what turned from a normal trip to the doctor into one of the most terrifying realizations of my life. My pain throughout my feet, back, neck and shoulders was not an injury but an aggressive disease that attacks your bones, cartilage, ligaments, stomach and intestines like they are foreign objects in your body. Days of gut wrenching pain from what it seems like walking on nails, having to crawl up and down stairs, not being able to leave the house for days at a time.  As well as multiple days of no sleep because of neck and back pain so severe I lose my breath when i move , throw up because I twist the wrong way. While it was one of the scariest days of my life, it was also a relief to finally know what has been causing me pain in my back and stomach since my sophomore year in high school. While there is no cure for this yet I am very optimistic for the days to come. I do not want to be a victim to anything, I'm ready to take an aggressive approach at an aggressive disease so that one day maybe someone else doesn't have to go through this physical and emotional pain. I am flying back to Georgia today the 12th of June and I will be seeing a specialist on Wednesday to do a full body assessment to see what damage has already been done and what things we can prevent from getting worse. I will be going through different treatments options and doctor appointments through out the next few months that will start to pile up bills as I try to find a solution to my problem without the luxury of having insurance that ended with my Job at Vail Resorts. I want more than anything to be healthy and get back to the active lifestyle I love and desire. With help from all my wonderful friends and family I will get better and I will be stronger from this hard time in my life. Anything is greatly appreciated. Thank you to all friends and family that have reached out to me in the past few days. I don't know what I would do without such a strong support group. Thanks, Luke Cannon