Help Carl Rice Heal and Rebuild His Life After Years of Medical Trauma

Today, October 9, Carl Rice is facing another major surgery after years of unimaginable pain, multiple operations, and a long fight to get the medical care he desperately needed. Now, he needs our help to make it through the next chapter.

If you know Carl, you know he is someone who has always chosen helping others over helping himself. He is a talented, artistic, and deeply generous individual who has given so much of his time, creativity, and energy to his community—often far more than his own circumstances have allowed him to have. He is the kind of person who gives what he can, even when he has very little to spare.

Now, after years of fighting simply to survive, Carl has reached a point where he needs that same generosity returned to him. We are raising $24,000 to help cover one year of living expenses, giving Carl the financial breathing room he needs to recover, find stability, and begin rebuilding his life.

Years of Pain, Searching for Answers:

Carl’s medical journey began in 2017 with unexplained and terrible pain. By 2018, he was seeking medical care and trying to find answers, enduring repeated emergency room visits as the pain became increasingly unbearable. Despite the severity of his symptoms, the underlying problem was difficult to identify because it often did not show up on standard imaging.

In December 2019, Carl experienced a medical crisis and was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition involving the breakdown of muscle tissue. Yet his symptoms continued, and he struggled to find the specialized care he needed.

From 2020 through 2022, Carl endured debilitating pain, neuropathy, and episodes of paralysis associated with severe nerve pain. He spent years seeking help in Arizona, but finding a doctor who understood his condition proved extraordinarily difficult.

By 2023, after years of struggling to be heard, he reached a breaking point. He knew his ribs were at the center of the problem and desperately needed someone to listen.

Finally, a doctor in Palm Springs took his concerns seriously and connected him with a surgeon willing to investigate and treat the underlying damage. After years of searching, Carl finally had a path toward treatment.

A Rare and Devastating Condition:

Carl was diagnosed with Cyriax syndrome, involving several related conditions: slipping rib syndrome, 12th rib syndrome, and iliocostal friction syndrome.

In simple terms, his ribs were moving abnormally, striking one another and rubbing against his hips. This caused severe nerve pain known as intercostal neuralgia and contributed to years of debilitating symptoms.

When surgeons were finally able to see the extent of the damage, they discovered serious complications, including necrotic rib tissue, infection, and a pneumothorax—a collapsed lung caused by a displaced rib puncturing the lung.

His first rib-removal surgery in 2023 revealed just how extensive the damage had become. But removing one rib was not enough. Carl had to continue advocating for himself because he knew the underlying problem had not been fully addressed.

Treatment could not happen all at once. The damage required multiple separate surgeries, each bringing its own risks, recovery, and challenges.

Five Rib-Removal Surgeries. One Shoulder Surgery. And Another Fight Today:

Since 2023, Carl has undergone five rib-removal surgeries and one shoulder surgery. Today, October 9, he is undergoing another major rib-removal procedure, bringing the total number of ribs removed to eight—four on each side.

The removal of so many ribs is a profound physical change. Ribs help protect vital organs, support the chest wall, and assist with breathing and movement. Living without eight ribs means facing lasting changes to his body's protection, stability, and mechanics, while continuing to manage the consequences of years of injury and chronic pain.

Even after surgery, the journey is far from over. Carl has been in pain management for six years and will likely need ongoing care for the foreseeable future. His body has endured years of trauma and repeated operations, and recovery will take time.

Throughout this ordeal, Carl has had little opportunity to truly rest, heal, or rebuild his life. The severity of his pain and limited mobility have made consistent employment virtually impossible.

The Financial Burden of Surviving:

Although Medi-Cal has fortunately covered much of Carl’s medical treatment, it has not covered the cost of living through years of disability and recovery. The California disability assistance he was offered at one point amounted to approximately $10 a day for five months, and a federal case remains pending.

Meanwhile, everyday expenses have never stopped. Housing, food, transportation, and basic necessities continue to cost money, even when working is no longer a realistic option.

The physical toll is immense, but so is the emotional toll of living in pain for years, fighting to be heard, navigating a complicated medical system, and worrying about how to afford the next month.

Carl was reluctant to ask for help in the beginning because he understood that this would be a long road. He knew his condition was unfamiliar to many doctors and that treatment would require multiple surgeries rather than one simple procedure. He has endured that long road, often without the recovery time, financial security, or stability anyone should have to go without.

Today, as he undergoes another major surgery, he needs the opportunity to focus on healing rather than simply surviving.

Our Goal: $24,000 for One Year of Living Expenses.

We are raising $24,000 to help Carl cover a year of essential living expenses while he continues recovering and works toward a more stable, livable situation.

These funds will help with the everyday necessities that make recovery possible: housing, food, transportation, and other basic living costs. This support is not about luxury. It is about giving Carl a foundation of security after years in which pain, medical crises, and surgeries have taken so much from him.

A year of breathing room would give him something he has rarely had throughout this ordeal: the chance to concentrate on his health and his future without the constant fear of how he will pay for basic necessities.

Now It's Our Turn to Help Carl:

If you can donate, every contribution—no matter the size—will help Carl move toward greater stability. If donating is not possible, sharing this fundraiser with your friends, family, and community can make a meaningful difference.

We have the opportunity to show him that he matters, that his years of generosity have not been forgotten, and that he does not have to carry this burden alone.

Let's help Carl get through this next chapter with dignity, stability, and hope. Let's give him the time and support he needs to heal. And let's show him that the community he has given so much to is here for him, too.

Thank you for reading, sharing, donating, and standing with Carl on his journey toward healing.