On May 4th, 2019 I was involved in a collision between my motorcycle and a car. Initially it seemed like the injuries were the typical battering and bruising one would expect from such an incident, but an injury to the sympathetic nerve has resulted in a diagnosis of “Complex Regional Pain Syndrome” or “CRPS”, a rare nerve-related autoimmune disorder that has afflicted my whole right leg from the hip to the toes. CRPS has left me in near constant pain and I have been unable to walk normally or without crutches since the crash. Needless to say, I have been unable to work since the crash and State Disability Insurance only pays a small percentage of what I was earning while working. Meanwhile the bills keep coming, compounded by the expense of medical co-pays for treatment and prescriptions. The bank account has been dwindling and credit card balances are rising.
 
My doctors have been unable to give me any sort of timeline for full recovery or even to what degree I can expect to recover. Treatment is limited to physical therapy sessions and spinal nerve-blocker injections to mask the pain. Through a friend of a friend, also diagnosed with CRPS, I have learned about a treatment available in Italy, but not yet approved for use in the USA, that is highly effective in curbing or eliminating the symptoms of CRPS. To receive this treatment I’ll need to travel to Italy and stay there for two weeks while receiving a series of transfusions. Obviously, this is beyond my current financial means, but with support from the community I hope to make this a reality so, hopefully, I can return to work and get on with life much sooner than later.
 
Thank you for your support – Deb Welch