Abbi's Recovery from CRPS

Abbi Ulmer is one of the bravest and strongest kids I know. She's beautiful, smart, an amazing athlete and an awesome big sister. But more than that, she's also a fighter. Abbi has been battling for the past four years with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). CRPS is associated with imbalance and malfunction of the autonomic nervous system resulting in disability, impairment, chronic pain, and functional loss.

Abbi has spent much of the last four years in and out of the hospital seeking treatment for her symptoms. With each hospital admission, she works hard at regaining mobility, controlling pain, and managing her ability to eat. She has had many setbacks, but unfortunately, our healthcare system isn't designed to treat CRPS in the way that she needs it to. Abbi spent many months on a feeding tube and has, at times, been immobile. She is currently using a walker and requires other specialized equipment in her home to maintain her independence. CRPS has changed Abbi's life and impacted her ability to attend school, play sports, and enjoy activities with her family.

Fortunately, Abbi has been accepted into the 14 week outpatient treatment program offered at the Spero Clinic in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Spero Clinic specializes in treating those with CRPS, and their team has extensive knowledge and experience in treating this complex disorder. Unfortunately, this treatment comes at a high cost for the family. Clinic costs alone are $40 000 USD, and on top of this, they will need to fly there and back, rent a home, pay for meals, access transportation, etc. This clinic is her best opportunity to get her life back, so our hope is to help raise some of the costs of this treatment so that Abbi can start her road to healing.

If you are able, please consider donating to help fund Abbi's treatment at the Spero Clinic. We would love it if you could share this post with anyone who may be able to contribute.