Help Amy receive life-changing medical treatment

For the last two years, Amy has been battling the debilitating effects of a cerebral spinal fluid leak (CSF leak) - a rare and hard to treat condition. What does this mean? Your brain needs spinal fluid for cushioning. If you have a leak, your brain is compressed and sags, and every nerve in the brain is strained. Because of the leak, every day Amy experiences constant excruciating headaches, nausea, fatigue and cognitive impairment. The only relief she gets is if she is lying flat, so she has to spend most of each day in bed.

This condition means that Amy can’t work. She can’t exercise. She can’t do many things that form part of daily life - the grocery shopping, cleaning the house, hanging the washing or making dinner. On a day when she can push herself, a 10-minute walk is pushing the limit. Amy hasn’t been able to go to church and she’s missed weddings, birthdays and time with family. She spent her own 30th birthday in hospital. If you’ve seen Amy out of the house she’s been in huge pain behind a brave face.

As two of her closest friends, to witness her become so diminished has been heartbreaking. If you know Amy you know her to be someone who is extremely high-functioning and driven. She is someone who values her relationships and goes out of her way to help others.

To try to repair the leak, Amy has had four spine surgeries and 10 invasive scans requiring painful spinal needles and nearly three months in hospital. Despite these attempts, she’s seen zero improvement.

All of this has left Amy with severe depression and anxiety.

Amy's hope lies in the groundbreaking technology of the photon counting CT scanner at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, USA. This cutting-edge innovation offers the possibility of pinpointing the leak's location and providing less invasive treatment options. However, the expenses for international medical care and specialised travel accommodations, including a lie-flat bed for flights due to her condition, are staggering.

Altogether Amy needs $40,000 to turn her life around. We need you to help make this happen. All you have to do is hit that “Donate now” button, enter the amount you’d like to give and enter your payment details.

Thank you for your generous support. Any dollar amount will be appreciated!

Paris & Ash