Chloe's recovery - spinal reconstruction surgery

I am Chloe's Aunt Shelly, I'm putting this fundraiser together to help with the unthinkable expenses that will arise now that she has had surgery.

Chloe was your average 12 year old little girl, very active, full of energy, and loves hanging out with her friends.

Around January, Chloe started experiencing weakness in her right foot; it then started in her right hand; she also had trouble turning her head from side to side.

On August 2, 2022, they were referred to the Neurology Department at Children's Hospital in Washington DC. They thought they were going for testing, but they haven't left the hospital since that day.

Chloe was diagnosed with two very rare and severe conditions requiring emergency surgery. The first is a sub-variant of Klippel Feil Syndrome. KFS is when the genes that produce the protein to make your bones don’t do their job correctly; in Chloe's case, her spine didn’t form properly, starting with her C-1 vertebrae, down to the C-6 the vertebrae are fused. This caused the spine to be flattened instead of round like a tube, which compressed all the arteries and nerves and caused paralysis, weakness and a host of other things.

The second is another very rare genetic issue that causes her arteries, specifically the carotid and vertebral, not to grow where they are supposed to, so they are outside of the spine where they should be inside, and vice versa.

The surgery was successful in the sense that she is not paralyzed (which was a possibility), but her rehab will take months to years and will be very painful and expensive. There was a titanium rod, a plate and screws involved in her spine reconstruction surgery. The mild paralysis Chloe experienced has been reversed; however, there was nerve damage, Chloe will not have complete control of her right ankle or right hand. There is a possibility with therapy Chloe may regain some of that control. Chloe will be able to stand and walk, but she will never be able to turn her head from side to side.

There are many things the family will need to care for Chloe when she eventually comes home, and they will not all be covered by insurance. They will need medical professionals in home at times, some modifications to their home, furniture for Chloe to use for homeschooling for at least the rest of this school year, and a wide variety of items that will make Chloe's new life a little easier.

Our family will greatly appreciate any donations, large or small. We also ask for prayers for Chloe, the medical professionals caring for her, and her parents. Chloe's parents have been by her side since the moment all this began; please pray for strength for them as well.