Hi I’m Leslie and I am raising money to get my daughter (Ana) medical treatment for CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) in Italy.

ANA’s STORY

Ana woke up one day in November 2024 with excruciating pain in her wrist. We hoped it would just go away with some ice and ibuprofen. However, the next morning she woke and the pain was shooting up her arm into her shoulder and neck. I called her pediatrician and she told me to take her to Connecticut Children’s Hospital Orthopedic Urgent Care, which I did.

I had never heard about CRPS. I thought maybe she had carpal tunnel. The medical professionals took x-rays to make sure nothing was broken because her pain was so excruciating she was crying. The x-rays came back normal but as Ana sat on the medical table in a tank top describing her symptoms to the doctor, her hand and arm started to inflate like a balloon and turn purple. Then it deflated before our eyes and blew up again.

The doctor and I stared in horror. I was so confused but the doctor wasn’t. She turned to me and said “This is the fastest I have ever diagnosed this - your daughter has CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome). I will get you signed up for physical therapy and the CT Pain Clinic will be in touch.

We left the doctor’s office so confused so we did what anyone would do when faced with a new diagnosis - we Googled it.

We quickly regretted the Google search as it is nicknamed “The Suicide Disease” and usually leads to amputation of the limb because of the excruciating pain it causes and eventually the body shuts off blood supply to the limb. There is a huge lack of effective treatment in the United States for CRPS.

As a mom, I dove into researching to try to find anything that would help my daughter. Months went by with her attending physical therapy 2-3 times a week and we were put on a waitlist for the CT Pain Clinic. We changed her diet and tried to eliminate any foods that are known for causing inflammation.

Finally, we had our appointment with the CT Pain Clinic! Surely this must be a good thing and they will have solutions, right?

Wrong!

There only solution was to keep doing physical therapy (PT). Now we have seen the benefits of PT in the past for other conditions but for this it seemed as if they were at a loss and didn’t know how to help. They had her pinching beans out of one bowl and putting them in another.

Meanwhile, Ana’s pain grew worse. Her flare ups of inflating and deflating her arm got longer and more frequent and worse there were days when her legs were in excruciating pain and barely worked too.

THE SOLUTION

After months of research I found the CRPS Treatment Center in Verona, Italy.

I quickly got in touch with them in January and we started sending medical files and getting bloodwork done to see if she would be a candidate for their program.

The prices weren’t listed but I started saving money.

Ana has been accepted into the Program and is set to receive treatment from September 20th - 28th, 2025.

I have saved $28k which is almost enough for the treatment. The treatment is 30.300 Euros which at this time equates to $39,614. This includes our hotel and the food they feed us but NOT the flights. so on top of the $39k USD we spent thousands for flights and transportation.

I am embarrassed to ask for help but am doing so because today is her 17th birthday and no child should have to face daily pain and possible amputation. While all of her friends are worrying about dating and applying for college, she is simply trying to get out of bed and shower.

So I ask if you can give, even if it is five dollars, we would truly appreciate it. Every dollar helps us get closer to getting her there, and affording transportation and incidentals of traveling.

Thank you for your consideration!

MEDICAL TREATMENT DETAILS

The program consists of the following:

Dedicated Patient Care Coordinator following the Evaluation Process and the bureaucratic process to arrive in Italy;

Priority-Line booking of Hospital for the Neridronate Infusions Treatment skipping long waiting lists;

Booking of a room accommodation for both the patient and their companion, including meals in the MTI-qualified hotel;

drop-off at the airport by the Patient Manager;

Assisted Transportation provided by the Patient Manager for the period of stay in Italy for the treatment;

Hospital Assistance Service: the presence of a Patient Manager at the Hospital during the four days of infusions;

Post-treatment Assistance: Patient Manager will stay in contact with the Patient for the next six months to check in on their recovery via emails and/or phone calls;

Pharmaceutical Treatment with Neridronate following Dr. Adami’s Protocol (4 infusions);

Pharmaceutical Treatment with Clodronate to be coupled with the Neridronate following the implemented protocol;

Visit with the CRPS specialist/doctor who follows Dr. Adami's Neridronate Protocol before and after the treatment;

Assisted Visit: the presence of the Patient Manager at the Hospital during the visits with the Doctor for support and translating/interpreting;

Final medical report translated, and signed by the Doctor who followed the Patient;

Qualified Registered Nurse presence during Neridronate Treatment to monitor the Patient's vitals;

Sessions of Neuromuscular Re-education sessions with Patient Manager acting as an Interpreter; Osteo-articular and muscle manipulation for the treatment of joint contractures and blockages;

Light therapy provided at the patient’s accommodation to be used 30 minutes twice or thrice a day for the duration of the treatment course. The light helps the regeneration of peripheral nerves; the receptors and synapses are stimulated which prevents the development of neurogenic dystrophy. The volume of the focus of inflammation decreases gradually from the periphery to the center, and destroyed tissue is replaced by newly formed analogues or scar tissue. The light of CRPS-Light Treatment guarantees a deep penetration in the tissues, so that the immune system gets stimulated: it reduces inflammation, stimulates circulation, it helps repair tendons, ligaments and muscles;

Biophysical therapy provided at the hotel, to be done during the night when the patient sleeps (the full program lasts 6 hours, to be repeated each night). It will be done each night during the patient's entire stay for the duration of the treatment course.

Biophysical Therapy is a machine that, through electric waves and frequencies, stimulates the body to start "repairing" the affected areas from within. It is placed under the mattress and acts on the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, the immune system and the circulatory system. It consists of various phases interspersed with repeated pauses, and provides a pain-relieving component which contributes to relaxation and the easing of tension.

Detailed programming of full stay in Italy for the dates scheduled;

Nutritional Biologist:

Comprehensive blood checkup: a complete screening to highlight any significant enzyme and metabolic deficiencies or imbalances;

Full body DEXA Scan;

Session with the Nutritional Biologist with Patient Manager acting as an Interpreter. A specialist in modulating the intestinal microbiota as per precision and gender medicine, through the reading of blood chemistry tests performed at the facility with the Specialist. The goal is to identify those deficiencies at the level of micronutrients, enzymatic, metabolic imbalances which are fundamental for the proper functioning of our intestines and immune system.

Final translated report from the Nutritional Biologist;

Health Coach as well as exams connected to them:

Physical test;

2 sessions with the Health Coach with Patient Manager acting as an Interpreter. A professional figure who will perform physiological tests (mobility, strength, choice of exercises based on biomechanics) to calculate energy values and body composition as well as identify muscle problems and/or weaknesses through survey systems;

Detailed report from the Health Coach, translated.

Thank you for your consideration!

If you prefer to donate directly please reach out to me on Facebook or Instagram for questions or cash donations.

thank you