As some of you know, after years of searching for answers to his heightening pain and health problems, my brother Chad Miller was diagnosed with Trigeminal neuralgia in early 2016. Trigeminal neuralgia is a chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensation from your face to your brain. If you have trigeminal neuralgia, even mild stimulation of your face — such as from brushing your teeth or at times even just breathing — may trigger a jolt of excruciating pain. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/trigeminal-neuralgia/symptoms-causes/syc-20353344 The condition is debilitating and makes even the simplest acts of working, caring for your family, carrying out day to day tasks and trying to live a normal life near impossible and always with excruciating pain. Growing up Chad has always been the one to bring smiles to people’s faces through his wacky sense of humor and quick witted comebacks, so to see this naturally happy go lucky guy just miserable with pain but still trying to keep things light has been heartbreaking.
Chad was only 38 at the time of his initial diagnosis and had been rendered unable to work and only able to function in day to day life under great pain and in a very limited capacity. In order to find some type of relief and healing Chad underwent his first brain surgery in October of 2016. Unbeknownst to him until recently, something went wrong in that first surgery, the exact actions of the medical team conducting this procedure are still being determined, and Chad ended up with unplanned for metal plates and screws in his skull. The surgery did not help with his condition and unfortunately actually worsened the underlying symptoms and created additional ones.
Since the initial surgery Chad’s pain has only gotten worse and his health and quality of life has drastically and steadily decreased. He has sought answers, relief and healing through countless medical professionals and facilities through the years, with little to no answers, besides physical therapy and an ever increasing pain management regiment. The level of pain medications he must adhere to, which only dull the pain enough to allow him to try and function while raising three kids, is no longer effective and is not a sustainable option for any type of quality of life.
It was recently determined that part of his continued pain and other neurological issues are being caused by his brain fluid leaking from behind the metal plate into his body which has led to additional damage as well as inflaming the underlying conditions. The complexity of the disease as well as the extent of the damage has limited the number of professionals across the country who have the knowledge and expertise required to undertake any type of procedure to address his condition.
In just the past weeks neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Lim at the Brain Tumor Center at Stanford Neuroscience Health Center in Palo Alto, California has offered Chad hope for relief and the chance of a better life. Dr. Lim has agreed to perform the complex procedure and was able to offer Chad this opportunity due to an opening created as a result of the pandemic. The surgery is schedule for December 21st and Chad will be flying out to California on the 19th in order to undergo preop testing. In addition to this surgery they have also offered a program (6-8 weeks in their facility) which provides a treatment plan, testing and therapy necessary to help the brain “reset” pain receptors as well as relearn normal physical activities.
We are hopeful that all of this will allow Chad to begin to rebuild a quality of life that he and his family so desperately need and deserve. This opportunity was one that Chad is enormously grateful for, but also one that has required immediate action with no time to make appropriate arrangements or prepare for the financial difficulties that it has created in order to travel to and from California, the expense of food and lodging both reoperation and post operation while recuperating and unable to travel, uncovered medical bills and other out of pocket expenses that he is unable to pay for due to the years of financial hardship this has caused him and his children.
Our family has been trying to assist as much as we can, however the costs associated with this are more than Chad can undertake and exceed the amount of help we can provide. Chad is a wonderful person who has volunteered countless hours to programs for children in his home town of Concord, NH including being named the 2019 Champion for Children for their school district(https://www.facebook.com/BMSConcord/posts/2618227461582273?comment_id=2624875167584169&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D ).
Through all his pain and hardship Chad has always been there to help those in need, and he now is in need of your help. Any financial assistance provided would be greatly appreciated and will go a long way in helping Chad get the treatment and healing he desperately needs.