Help Brandon Bancroft - Total Joint Replacement

Hello Facebook friends and family!  

My name is Brandon Bancroft; I’m a 26-year-old Outer Banks native. In December 2018 I graduated from East Carolina University, where I studied biology and chemistry with a concentration in ecology and evolution. I’m currently a chef at The Blue Point in Duck, North Carolina, working 50+ hours a week in the kitchen. I’ve been cooking professionally on the Outer Banks for over ten years, as well as at various restaurants in Greenville when I was a student at ECU. I’ve always avidly appreciated living on the coast, engaging with nature constantly via hobbies such as fishing, free-diving, kayaking and surfing. My home is in the water. I plan to pursue a career as a fisheries biologist with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration while simultaneously expanding my culinary endeavors. But first, I need a hip replacement.

The reason I’m creating this GoFundMe is because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Avascular Necrosis. I began to experience debilitating hip and leg pain in November 2018. Upon seeing doctors and paying out of pocket for basic X-Rays of my back, they determined the pain to be rooted in the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back down the leg. 


My doctor at the time ordered an MRI to look at my spine, so that he could see if there was a disk or vertebrae pinching the sciatic nerve. He spotted an abnormality in my hip joint while assessing the spinal MRI. After he spoke with an orthopedic surgeon, I was diagnosed with Avascular Necrosis. Avascular Necrosis means there is bone death occurring due to lack of blood flow. In my case, blood is not reaching the top of my femur, and the hip joint is deteriorating. Due to this bone deterioration at the top of my femur, there are divots and flat areas digging into the cartilage of the pelvic socket. I am in constant pain, struggling to perform even the smallest daily tasks such as getting down my stairs and to my car.

Thanks to new advances in total joint replacement, I have chosen to have a ceramic joint put in. This hip is expected to last 60 years. Having just graduated from college, I (like many others) am swimming in student debt, working 50+ hours a week to get back on my feet. My operation is scheduled for September 23, 2019, at the Outer Banks Hospital, and is being performed by Dr. Christopher Mann. I cannot express how ready I am to be relieved of my daily pain.The cost of the surgery after insurance is going to total $7,350, but I will also be unemployed during a recovery period of 8-10 weeks. During this time I will have to find a way to pay for my basic needs such as rent, health insurance and food. Many of you might know that I am not one to ask for help, but given my circumstances, I’m turning to my community for this one.   


I want to thank you all in advance for any contributions, and ensure you that donations of any size will relieve some of my stress during this time. I am overwhelmed by the amount of support I’ve already received, both mentally and physically, from my friends, family and even total strangers. Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my story! 

Best, Brandon