Help 28-Year-Old with 50-Year-Old Knees Get Back in the Air

Irem Özen is organizing this fundraiser.

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Too Young for Knee Replacement, Too Old to Pretend It’s Fine

Help a 28-Year-Old with 50-Year-Old Knees Get Back in the Air!

Hey, I’m Remi. I’m 28, and my biggest passion is aerial acrobatics—yep, the kind where you hang, flip, and fly through the air. It’s what keeps me strong, happy, and sane. But right now, I’m grounded… and not in the cool, meditative way.

What’s Going On

I’ve got a pretty nasty 2cm cist in my right knee bone (a severe osteochondral lesion, if you want the medical jargon). It basically means that its eating up my knee from the inside out.

In practical terms it has made walking, training, and even basic movement super painful. To avoid the pain, I’ve been leaning on my left leg so much that I’ve torn the meniscus there too. So now both knees are throwing tantrums.

Doctors say I’ll eventually need a full knee preplacement/ metal prosthetic —but there’s still a chance to avoid setting off metal detectors for a good 3 decades if I act now.

️ The Recovery Plan

I need surgery—specifically curettage, grafting, and mosaicplasty (basically, a knee makeover). But the surgery is just the first step.

Recovery means:

- 6 months of intense physical therapy - Regular check-ups

- A safe place to heal (I currently live on the 5th floor with no lift… not ideal when stairs feel like Everest)

What I’m Asking For I’m trying to raise £14,750 to cover:

• Surgery

• Rehab and medical care

• Moving costs to a flat that won’t sabotage my recovery

Every bit of support helps me get back to doing what I love—and walking without wincing. Whether you donate or just share this page, I’m seriously grateful. Thanks for reading, laughing (hopefully), and helping me get back in the air.

With love and creaky knees, Remi

P.s

Before I set up a page on gofundme, I mistakenly opened a page on whydonate.com thinking it was the same platform (very similar ux design). I will be sharing on both platforms how much is accumulated in the spirit of transparency and gratitude for all of your generosity.