Hi, my name is Calen and I’m fundraising for my little sister, Anna.

Anna Wetherell (22) is an aspiring Nurse Practitioner currently working as a phlebotomist while she finishes up her degree. While her dedication to the medical field and passion for helping people is extremely admiring, she is also one of the kindest and most loving individuals I have ever known.

Anna’s back pain started at just 14 years old. The doctor's first approach was to give her narcotics instead of taking a diagnostic approach and found out later on that she had 2 herniated discs (between levels L4-L5, and L5-S1).

Since then, she has gone through years of physical therapy, chiropractic treatments, massage, acupuncture, prolotherapy, steroid injections, and nerve ablations - way too much for a young woman of her age.

Because herniated discs and degenerative disc disease don't heal themselves, getting back surgery is inevitable for her as the problems will only worsen over time. After 8 years of chronic pain, both mentally and physically, Anna has decided to move forward with the recommended surgeries (Lumbar Fusion & Disc Replacement) so she can live a better life and continue her journey to becoming a Nurse Practitioner.

Unfortunately, insurance will not cover this surgery due to it being considered a "hybrid" procedure in the lumbar spine. While the U.S. healthcare system has been experiencing major problems for decades, it's hard to imagine why not helping someone pay for a surgery like this would be justified.

I love my sister so much and want her to live a happy, healthy, and pain-free life. My goal is to fundraise as much as I can for this surgery so that Anna doesn't have to stress about a huge health payment debt on top of her student debt.

Anything helps.

Thanks so much,

Calen