—AJ’s Medical & Healing journey—

AJ had his first spinal revision & reconstruction surgery!  He is now preparing for a second one, as well as a wrist surgery to remove a golf ball sized cyst caused by the bone infection recently found, and possible knee surgery.  

 He has been diagnosed with two infections; chronic osteomyelitis that has spread throughout his entire body and a separate osteomyelitis within his spinal column.  This explains all of his symptoms and why he has only gotten worse as it has been spreading since his first botched spine surgery in 2014 unfortunately infiltrating his bones blood and brain.  He is seeing the top infectious disease specialists in Colorado and working closely with his amazing spine team to treat and manage it along with the issues it has caused.  His current level of function is still very limited due to the damage caused over the past seven years, from osteoporosis to joint damage to muscle atrophy to organ damage, he has a long road of recovery ahead.  The doctors do not think he will ever be able to fully cure the osteomyelitis or regain full leg function but he is doing everything possible to heal and recover as much as he can.  After intense treatments over the past few months he has started sending the infection into remission and his back has finally achieved fusion!  The next spine surgery is to remove the screws in hopes of avoiding another reaction and re-testing the area for infection levels.  In the meantime he is doing physical therapy, getting weekly IV treatments and blood tests to monitor infection levels, and attempting to restore optimal levels in his body to promote healing and proper hormone function. 

What happened?
-In 2013 AJ and his family were rear ended in a car accident, at the age of 23, leaving him with a back injury that led doctors to overly use corticosteroid injections.  When precautionary measures were exhausted the operating surgeon decided to perform a unilateral spinal fusion and full discetomy at the L4-L5 lumbar.  Unfortunately the "degenerative disc disease" that he was diagnosed with at the time was a misdiagnosis and the surgery only made things worse as it was improperly done and he never fused.   Over the past seven years the titanium alloy screws, rods, and interbody cage caused massive internal chaos, the fusion was failed from the start, and caused a hole in his spine, spinal cord damage, a severe osteomyelitis infection, and osteoporosis of his lower half due to lack of blood flow and bone infection.  

Complications: 
Here is a list of the diagnosis AJ has received from his doctors in Colorado...
-Chronic widespread osteomyelitis and a separate intervertebral infection. 
-Failed fusion and failed hardware of first spinal surgery, postoperative changes of the fusion, posterior narrowing of the L5-S1 disc space, L1-L4 stenosis, facet arthropathy, and prominent posterior epidural fat narrowing the space.  Cauda Equina Syndrome.
-Lower limb venous insufficiency, crepitus & drop foot caused by implant.  
-Cyst on the spinal cord 
-Failed Back Syndrome / Painful Hardware / Lumbago
-Metallosis 
-Chronic Widespread Pain Syndrome 
-Osteopenia of the spine
-Osteoporosis in both hips & legs.
-Progressive Muscular Atrophy
-Complex tear of meniscus left knee; Chronic partial tear of ACL.
-Hypogonadism
-Cushings Disease (medically induced)
-Arthritis 
-Complete intolerance to pain medications; thus has been pain med free since the first surgery. 
-Insomnia & medical PTSD 
-Colorblindness; caused by the infection 
-Brain damage: linear white matter flair hypersensitivity in the deep white matter of the right frontal lobe.    Left frontal developmental venous anomaly. Caused by the infection. 

COSTS:
-Care after surgery
-Medical bills 
-IV Therapy
-Pharmaceutical costs 
-Medical costs not covered by insurance 
-Service dog 


AJ is genuine and truly one of a kind.  You just have to meet him once and you just know.  He leaves everyone he meets feeling loved and cared for, and has a joke or song to combat any tear.  
His compassion is limitless, as is ironically his tolerance to pain.  Through these years he has remained a beacon of positivity, and has never lost hope or stopped trying.  Ever.  He continued to be all he could be; full time dad, husband, partner and friend.  No matter how many times he has been knocked down, he rises with a light that this world needs.  He is a martial artist, a top notch gamer, and proud plant based athlete.  
Being a former professional level athlete, athletic trainer, business owner, and active community member this limit on his mobility and reach has devastated him.  But if he could persevere through this with the attitude and drive through years of insurmountable pain, I can only imagine what he will do for the world once his spine is no longer holding him BACK.
..

PLEASE do not hesitate to reach out if you can HELP in any way, not just monetary!  All support is appreciated more than we can ever express.   
- [email redacted]