Help Cassy Get to Arizona for Life-Saving Brain Surgery

My name is Todd, and I’m asking for help for my wife, Cassy. She’s not just my wife — she’s the mother of our two amazing girls, the glue that holds our family together, and the strongest person I have ever known. For the past 10 years, she has been locked in a fight for her life against Trigeminal Neuralgia, one of the most painful and progressive conditions known to medicine — and to mankind. She already battles with Chiari Malformation on top of her TN, she needs another life saving brain surgery to end her pain with this evil disease. I’m fighting for her. Cassy is a woman of kindness and outpouring of love for anyone who knows and meets her. Cassy gets up every day and makes it her mission to help others and show compassion to other humans. Her love for people and helping people fills her heart. Cassy has suffered for 10 years too long.

Unfortunately, life has dealt a difficult hand as her medical professionals have decided it is in the best interest for Cassy to undergo TN surgery in hopes to alleviate the never ending pain, this will be her second brain surgery after having Chiari Malformation brain decompression craniotomy in 2022.

This fundraiser has been organized to ensure that Cassy can focus solely on her healing journey- getting her surgery. For years she has endured depression. Mental, physical, financial and emotional distress. Cassy is completely medically disabled. She is unable to work due to her horrendous pain. Before her disabilities stole her ability to work she loved being a Stay at Home Mom and running her in home daycare.

They call it the “suicide disease” because the pain feels like electric shocks and stabbing knives striking the face, over and over, every single day. I’ve watched Cassy drop to her knees mid-sentence. I’ve seen her hide the pain so our girls won’t worry. I’ve heard her plead for relief when the agony becomes too much. I just want my wife pain-free. Watching her suffer, knowing there’s nothing I can do in that moment, is heartbreaking in a way I can’t put into words. No one should have to live like this.

The trigeminal nerve leaves the brain and travels inside the skull, it divides into three smaller branches, controlling sensations throughout the face:

•Ophthalmic Nerve (V1): The first branch controls sensation in a person's eye, upper eyelid and forehead.

• Maxillary Nerve (V2): The second branch controls sensation in the lower eyelid, cheek, nostril, upper lip and upper gum.

• Mandibular Nerve (V3): The third branch controls sensations in the jaw, lower lip, lower gum and some of the muscles used for chewing.

Cassy has TN type 1 (TN1) unfortunately affecting V1, V2, V3 on the left side (branches) of her face. Suffering with pain in her mouth, lips, jaw, ears, cheeks, eyebrows, eyes, forehead and nose. The intense, stabbing, electric shock-like pain can be triggered by an action as routine as breathing! Brushing your teeth. Something as simple as touching your face, talking, eating or brushing your hair. It’s a living nightmare for her. TN strikes without warning. She can have anywhere from seconds to minutes or hours when it strikes. She has not had any remissions from pain in years, as it’s getting worse and more progressive.

The highly specialized MVD procedure performed by Dr. Zimmerman in Arizona, one of the few doctors in the country with the expertise to help her is coming to fruition for her. She already has appointments scheduled, but getting there is our biggest obstacle.

We must travel twice — once for the consultation, and again for the surgery. We need help covering airfare, lodging, and food for both trips. Cassy is fully disabled, and as the only one working, I struggle to keep our household afloat. Our girls can stay with family during the trips. Round trip airfare, lodging and food for two is astronomical for us. Not to mention the loss of pay when I will need to accompany Cassy on these trips. Our bills are overdue, our budget stretched to the breaking point, and this fight is bigger than we can face alone. With all previous and upcoming scheduled medical treatments, doctor visits, scans and past out of pocket co-pays on top of our regular bills. It has all come with a price that unfortunately we can’t pay. It’s a heavy burden our family has carried for years since Cassy was diagnosed with Chiari at age 21, and TN at age 27.

To help alleviate medical and financial burdens, along with hopes for a successful recovery, we are asking for assistance in lines of prayers, well wishes and if possible any donations - would be more than appreciated. After two trips to Arizona (one for consultation and the second for surgery) and getting Cassy home to recover all additional funds will go toward keeping our home and family stable during this critical time.

Every donation is a step toward giving my wife her life back — toward our girls having their mom fully present, and toward ending the daily torture she endures. We dream of the day we can kiss her cheek and she can feel something other than agonizing pain. Behind this fundraiser is the raw truth: every day, Cassy battles pain so severe it robs her of even the simplest joys — caring for our children, smiling at them, or sharing a meal without fear of a sudden attack. The electric shocks that rip through her face and teeth are constant, merciless, and exhausting. I’ve watched her push through tears just to be present for us.

Our girls see more than they should at their age. They know why Mom sometimes disappears to a dark room. They’ve seen her clutch her face mid-laugh and watched good days turn to bad ones in seconds. They worry, they miss her energy, and they long for the best version of their mom — the one who isn’t weighed down by relentless pain.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank all who have provided prayers, checked in with Cassy for updates and who have graciously shared or can help.

God Bless and love to you all!

https://imgur.com/gallery/help-cassy-fight-trigeminal-neuralgia-ij3HxGs