HELP ALICE TO GET HER LIFE BACK

Hello everyone, my name is Eileen and I've set up this Gofund Me to help my daughter, Alice, to try get her life back. She is 22 years old and is relient on crutches to get around pain free. She suffered a horrendous compound fracture to her fibula in August 2020 and following 2 surgeries was back playing sport in April 2021. She regained full use of her ankle at first but after about a year the swelling and pain began to worsen instead of easing more. She put this down to the plate that was in her ankle, as she had been told that this would have to remain in situ if she wanted to play sport, but could cause her some discomfort. She continued icing and exercising, but by mid 2024 she couldn't walk without a limp and would be in pain for days following any exertion. In early 2025 we went to A&E as she couldn't weight bear at all. She was refered to an orthopaedic surgeon and was diagnosed with end stage osteoarthritis of the ankle and end stage necrosis of the talus bone. This means treatment options are very limited and what is on offer is not recommended for anyone as young as Alice. he only solid treatment suggestion so far, has been an ankle fusion. This in itself will cause arthritis and further complications in other lower limb joints in the future and limit her very much in activities for the rest of her life. Even just the basic task of walking will be difficult. This is a life changing diagnosis and prognosis for someone so young, who lives for sport. The chronic pain she is in at the moment is very debilitating and is causing severe depression.

We have done endless hours of research into alternatives that could help her quality of life going forward, without causing further complications and have been in touch with a clinic in Washington where a guy called Ryan Blanck invented a prosthetic-orthotic device called an Exosym. This device was developed as an alternative to amputation and other treatments for army veterans. It is now available to civilians and people travel from all over the world to this clinic to be fitted for and trained up in the use of this device. It is basically a leg brace that has hinges at a higher supporting joint on the leg, that absorb the pressure at say in Alices case the knee instead of pressure and weight being put on the ankle. This does away with any further damage or pain. We have been in touch with Ryan at the clinic and Alice is a suitable candidate. We have scheduled appointments over the next few months to gain more information and make sure he has all her up to date medical information as we gain more up to date scans etc. We however really need a lot of help with the costs that will ensue. This device doesn't come cheap, with a price tag of just under 12k plus travel, rehabilitation and time spent there for her to learn how to walk in a whole new way to get the most from this. There is no other clinic in the world that suppliees this same device. She would also need to travel back for adjustments after a few months of adapting to the device. Any small amount of help from anyone will be very gratefully received. I will keep everyone updated on her journey when this finally begins.