- C
- J
- A
Help Alice Treat CRPS Before It Becomes Full-Body
Hi, my name is Alice Wren, and I’m raising funds for treatment to fight Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a rare, progressive, and extremely painful neurological condition. It began in my left ankle in August 2023, and within months, spread up the entire left side of my body, from head to toe. It’s beginning to affect my right side too, meaning it’s becoming full-body, & I'm developing new debilitating symptoms.
What CRPS Is (for me)
CRPS causes constant and severe pain in my nerves, joints, muscles, skin, & bones. For me, it also comes with increased migraines, nausea, digestive issues, nerve dysfunction, and intense physical attacks that leave me vomiting, drenched in sweat, increased numbness/buzzing, & violently shivering. These episodes can happen up to six times a day, and sometimes have to sit in a bath for hours to keep my body temperature regulated. Eating has been incredibly difficult, I’ve lost so much weight I’m now the thinnest I’ve been in my adult life, as I've been losing my muscle too, & can't even manage to stop the loss. The muscle in my left calf has deteriorated for the most part.
This illness started due to an untreated ankle injury from 2017 that I pushed through so I could work, paired with doctors not taking it seriously. After years of being told to “walk it off” to multiple repeat injuries, my body couldn’t handle it anymore, and the injury turned into this chronic, life-altering condition. It’s taken away my mobility, my independence, my ability to work or socialize, & my daily quality of life as all I can do is survive & manage symptoms.
How It Started
I got laid off from my job at an LA talent agency due to strikes in the industry, right as I was looking for health insurance. I then started a new job training as a waitress when this started just about a couple weeks later. I had no health insurance, no access to health insurance, no support, & no idea what was happening to my body. I spent my savings on a few specialists, surviving, and even a chiropractor who promised to get me walking again, but made no difference. Doctors shrugged at me. I wasn’t sure if I would survive but I've held on to hope.
Eventually, a kind primary care doctor with financial aide got me some medical attention & 4 months of intense physical therapy, which restored some range of motion, helped me walk short distances without the medical boot, and restored some hope. But the pain never left, I just kept fighting through, and without further treatment, it’s been progressing relentlessly. I live with daily pain at a 7–10, spiking to unbearable 10+ levels. I haven’t felt safe driving in over a year. Even doing the things I enjoy hurts. I'm just doing my best to survive until I can get treatment.
I’m terrified of what’s next, how this will continue to develop, and what this means for the rest of my life. I'd much rather be able to make money, clock out, leave my house, go on vacation, socialize, but I don't ever get to 'clock out' of this nightmare that is my current life.
Thankfully, I have improved enough to believe it's possible for more, thanks to physical therapy and that primary care doctor doing what they can, but now I need treatment to actually stop the spread & improve my condition.
✨Why I’m Fundraising
CRPS is most treatable within the first 2 years, and August 2025 marks that 2-year window for me.
There are two main treatment paths I’m pursuing:
✅ $6,000 – Ketamine Infusion Therapy
- A proven treatment for CRPS with high success rates.
- This would help me to get the Pain Infusion Protocol, but boosters are needed every few months to maintain progress.
- I'm aiming to get this treatment & more at a clinic in Dallas with a specialist who has treated many people with CRPS. My first appointment is on July 9th where we can hopefully figure out the details & determine what specific treatments I need.
❤️$25,000 – Neridronate Treatment in Italy
- The only known treatment with potential for permanent remission.
- It’s not available in the U.S. yet, but patients have seen life-changing results in Italy.
- I’ve applied for a clinical trial for this in South Korea, so hopefully I can get picked since I believe they would cover all associated costs.
Even if I don’t reach the full stretch goal, every dollar helps towards treatment, travel, & specialists. This is a rare, complex, under-researched condition with no cure, but these treatments offer real hope, hope for less pain, more mobility, independence, and getting my life back.
✨How You Can Help
If you can donate, share, or simply spread the word, you are helping me fight this disease. Your support could mean the difference between years more of suffering with progression and finally starting to heal.
Only give or help how you can of course! And there are lots of ways you can help besides donating monetarily.
Additional ways to help:
Share my GoFundMe
- Sharing my story with your community, group chats, or social media might reach someone who can help.
Engage with My Social Media
- I’m now eligible for monetization, so likes, comments, views, and shares on my posts actually help generate income. You can even let my reels play in the background, it all adds up & helps my reach!
Thank You
I never imagined I’d be in this position, needing to ask for help just to survive. On my birthday in 2023, I honestly didn’t know if I’d live to see another one but I’m still here, & I need support to keep fighting.
Thank you for reading part of my story. I hope I get the chance to tell you the rest, to heal, grow, go on many more adventures, & turn this experience into something that can help others too.
With love,
— Alice Wren
Organizer
