- M
Let us give our friend back her agile legs, breath, and smile.
Two rescue spine surgeries.
Agata, our beloved friend and inspiration - a person who defies all stereotypes. A woman of passion and energy with a constant sparkle and smile on her face. With a huge heart, vivacious curiosity about the world and people, unconventional thinking and strength, thanks to which she carried many of us out of a burning building on her back, always kind, fully committed to the problems of others and ready to sacrifice herself, urgently needs our help. The most energetic, courageous, and joyful of our friends is one step away from losing everything her life was based on...an error during her crucial spinal surgery we had all been waiting for turned her life into a horror story instead of relieving our friend--thus ending several years of torment in the fight for her health.
Six hours before arriving at the ward at Polish hospital Agata had completed her routine daily training: a two-hour run up the stairs. Today, she is not even physically able to stand on her own two feet.
An incorrectly selected Alif implant with an incorrectly calculated lordosis angle led to pelvic rotation which twisted her legs, creating two opposing serious orthopedic defects. Her legs are no longer compatible with one another. Rehabilitation is impossible. The lower part of her body is rotating more and more to the left, creating a risk of permanent damage to her bones and joints.
The implant compresses the nerves of the right leg (L4 and L5) causing partial paralysis, loss of sensation and control and limpness. In addition, acute pressure on the femoral artery poses a risk of thrombosis.
The excessive lordosis angle, which is unnatural for her body position, has escalated the scoliosis of the thoracic spine and the lack of any body stabilization has drastically worsened the condition of the cervical spine which was to be operated on a year after the Alif procedure. Partial paralysis of the diaphragmatic nerve and the inability to position the body to breathe threaten respiratory failure and with each passing hour it becomes increasingly difficult for Agata to breathe.
Agata's condition is deteriorating rapidly. Despite her boundless energy, determination and strong, athletic body and constant modifications to her rehabilitation equipment, the rotation of her body and legs has begun to make any exercise impossible. The postoperative conflict in the positioning of her legs not only prevents her from walking, but also from standing upright. The entire destructive process is accompanied by severe pain. If the implant is not immediately corrected/replaced with a smaller implant with a smaller lordosis angle, the cervical spine will undergo stabilization (congenital critical stenosis, herniated discs, pressure on the spinal cord) will lead to nerve death, bone fractures and subsequent spinal segments, respiratory failure, paralysis, and thrombosis.
Surgeons in Poland are unable to perform corrective surgery. The situation is complicated by the deteriorating condition of the cervical spine.
The only chance she has are two surgeries in one of the three clinics known in this field in the world—in Heidelberg, Hamburg, or Berlin (consultations with doctors and the decision on the choice of clinic are in progress).
Five years of diagnosis at the onset of unusual symptoms, first in her home country and later abroad, cost Agata €180,000 (she sold her apartment and spent all her savings). The lack of a quick and accurate diagnosis led to many life-threatening side effects and complications - the treatment of which was also associated with enormous costs. When the problem was finally diagnosed correctly, we couldn't wait for our friend to return to full health. In the meantime, numerous tests conducted around the world have shown that, apart from serious prenatal and early developmental spinal defects, Agata is in excellent shape. This made us all the more hopeful that she would make up for the lost years and fulfill her plans and dreams and that she would return to us as a friend.
The surgeons' prognosis before the operation was excellent, especially since Agata had devoted her life in recent years to fighting for her health and fitness. Several hours of training every day: a diet adapted to her allergies and intolerances, which escalated with the development of the disease, temporarily giving up her scientific passions in favor of sports, giving up reading the books she loved so much as well as her activity on social media, waiting for the moment when she would finally be diagnosed and the operation would be performed, which would restore her to full health. Agata also withdrew from social life as it involved less activity than her body needed to survive. She was unable to sit or lie down. Only certain physical activities were possible. Four years ago, she noticed that many of the symptoms that prevented her from functioning decreased when she walked up stairs. Walking up stairs became her daily routine, an escape from pain, high muscle tension (uncontrollable by medication), disturbed osmotic pressure, and swelling (of the face, larynx, eyeballs, and brain). There were days when she marched for up to 7 hours. She hoped that after the operation in the coming year, she would try to break the Guinness world record of 20 hours in this discipline.
At the moment, she needs urgent corrective surgery on her lumbar spine to replace the implant and reduce the angle of the lordosis. Before the surgery performed three weeks ago, other parameters of her body (legs, thoracic and cervical spine) were not taken into account, nor was the fact that Agata's body had developed compensatory mechanisms throughout her life and would not be able to adapt to such a large angle of lordosis created by the doctor. The implant also turned out to be too large, which resulted in pressure on the nerves. The corrective surgery will be very complicated and risky, followed by an urgent operation on the cervical spine, as well as a whole range of additional tests (not all of which performed in Poland are recognized in Germany) and constant care, payment for accommodation, hospitalization and transport (adapted to transport a person who has recently undergone serious spinal surgery from Poland to Germany). Agata's funds have been completely exhausted, and we, her friends, have also run out of the means to support her in her fight for life and return to her dream form.
The approximate costs are €50,000 for corrective surgery on the lumbar spine, including implant replacement, €25,000 for surgery on the cervical spine (pressure on the phrenic nerve, congenital critical stenosis, pressure on the spinal cord and nerves, herniated discs), plus the costs of numerous detailed examinations (CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, X-rays, angiograms), medication, additional consultations, and living expenses during diagnosis and postoperative rehabilitation in Germany.
How you can help:
Every donation, no matter how small, brings us one step closer to helping Agata.
The same goes for every share of the link to our fundraiser.
Please help us in the fight for Agata's health and life.
We are grateful for every donation.
You can support Agata via that website or directly to her bank account:
DE68100110012920471874
If any of the donors wish to do so, they may, of course, inspect the medical documentation concerning Agata's health.
THANK YOU
--
Neil D'Monte
imdb.com/name/nm1548702
Organizer
