Hi, my name is Leila ‘Cheyanne’ Gross, I’m a wife and a mother to 2 amazing kids and at the age of 23 my life has changed drastically. I was diagnosed with a rare life-threatening brain condition called Chiari Malformation-2 at a young age. In the last 3 months, a recent brain MRI revealed that my cerebral tonsils hang 6.3-7mm lower than average, pushing the cerebellum of my brain into my spinal canal. When this happens it can restrict the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid between the head and the spinal cord causing all kinds of pain and neurological issues.

I’ve always dealt with symptoms such as slurred speech, vision issues, tinnitus, intense high pressure headaches, pressure behind the eyes and more. As time went on a slew of other symptoms have appeared. I now have developed supraventricular tachycardia which means I could have a heart attack as well as a worsened case of POTS. My nervous system is all out of wack causing pain throughout my entire body (intense pain I’m my head, neck, shoulders, back and legs), which has caused my motor skills to decrease. Most forms of physical activity increase the pain including short walks around my home. This debilitating pain has prevented me from holding a job, carrying out daily tasks, getting a good nights sleep, playing with my children and living a normal functional life.

After seeking medical advice from specialists, my neurologist and neurosurgeon has decided to push for decompression surgery asap dude to my life being on the line and my organs starting to fail. My husband and I will have to travel 2 hours away and will be staying in the hospital a while as I recover enough to come home.

The recommended surgery is not just a medical necessity, its a life line for me. With out this procedure the condition could worsen causing permenant damage to my nervous system, dulling my mental faculties, worsening my quality of life and even death. The sooner we can move forward with surgery, the better my chances of a pain-free and functional life.

All donations made will go to surgery costs, food, travel expenses, necessities for my children while we are away and post op recovery expenses.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and anything donated is much appreciated!