Help Curtis Keep Making Sweet Alaskan Candy

On Christmas Day, 2020, after a great holiday family dinner, I went outside to start my truck. In a matter of seconds, my feet slipped under me and I heard 3 LOUD snaps! In an instant, I shattered my ankle in 3 places and couldn’t walk.

My case was complicated due to past injuries, so it was recommended that I fly to Seattle. I had surgery shortly thereafter, they stabilized my ankle and used hardware to support my bones. Unfortunately, the first surgery failed and I had a second surgery with more complex hardware the first of February, 2021. After developing a blood clot and a few other complications, I was finally released to go home and began my 3 month recuperation.

I was ordered to have bed rest; NO work for 3 months. I did not return to work until May. I was so far behind and had so many orders on the board, I hit the ground running. The work I do to help my wife’s business is labor intensive. I need to be on my feet for several hours every day. As the weeks went by, my ankle started to swell to the point that it was almost 4 times the size of my other ankle by the end of each day! I was (and still am) in constant pain. My ankle throbs day and night and wakes me up during the night.

After several weeks and more x-rays, I flew to Seattle to get another consultation on the status of my ankle. I wanted to make sure I didn’t have an infection, rejection of hardware or even worse. The doctor gave me good and bad news:

The good news is that I did not have an infection or rejection of the hardware. The bad news is that I need additional surgery to fuse my ankle to my leg. Sometimes with the type of surgeries I had, patients lose all their cartilage prematurely as the body tries to heal. Guess what, I am one of those patients!!  My cartilage is completely gone, and my ankle is bone on bone with my leg. The swelling in my ankle every day is caused by the grinding of the bone on bone, no matter how far I walk or what I do! The additional bad news is that the surgery to fuse my bones will result in another 12 to 16 weeks of recovery.

We survived covid (so far!), shut downs, employee shortages, raw materials skyrocketing and living through multiple surgeries, but this could be too much. We are the last taffy makers in Alaska. We use certified glacier water for our confections that include taffy, popcorn, brittle, fudge and barks. We have grown steadily over the last years and have expanded our wholesale accounts all over the state. We believe it would be a tragedy for the business to fail; there just aren’t very many Alaskan made products. It’s not easy to make our confections, and it is very difficult to find and/or train someone to make taffy, in particular. We receive great satisfaction, however, in seeing our happy customers who keep coming back for more. That makes it all worthwhile!

The great news is that there IS something that could delay surgery and relieve my pain so that I can work until we can manage another 3 month “shut down” recuperation period. It can also be used after the “fusing” surgery to protect my ankle from further injury. We have discovered an exterior orthopedic device that has helped both civilian and military combat veterans avoid amputation, return to active duty and/or resume a normal lifestyle. The exo-sym orthotic has been around since 2013 and has helped hundreds of people!

In a nutshell, the exo-sym diffuses weight and pain caused by injuries and bone on bone pain, and transfers it to another area of the leg. It’s more complicated than that, but essentially, it allows the patient to walk without pain and return to a mostly normal lifestyle. The exo-sym is a custom made, kinetic orthosis that can be life-changing for patients who would otherwise face amputation or be confined to a wheelchair, sedentary life.

The only downside to the device, is the expense of fittings, training and multiple trips to the clinic in Washington to make the best fit and adjustments. Once the device is fitted, there is minimal maintenance. THE EXO-SYM IS NOT COVERED BY INSURANCE….

We have exhausted our personal savings with the past surgeries, travel and helping to cover business expenses through covid. That is why we are reaching out to you to see if you can help us with our predicament.

Since we started writing this narrative, we have had our initial consultation with the clinic to develop the prototype. The first visit requires no payment. If you like what you see and feel, you return in a few weeks and get the final orthotic. I could not believe how the device worked. I was able to walk up and down hallways with NO pain. I felt like my old self…it was incredible!

Another amazing thing about the exo-sym is that is is designed for the long term, as long as it is needed, with adjustments through the years. It can last a lifetime if needed!

The total cost of the last fitting, device, and training, and travel not including this initial trip, is $15,000. This is the amount we are hoping to raise…thank you for anything you can contribute, we really appreciate it. Thank you for taking the time to hear my story.

 

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND “TESTIMONIALS” ABOUT THE EXOSYM ORTHOSIS, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE.