Hi! My name is Annabelle, and I have been sick for most of my life, but 5 years ago, my health took a turn for the worse. On February 24th, 2021, I passed out during my ballet class and suffered a traumatic brain injury that left me with a chronic headache, migraines, and memory loss. Unfortunately, this was just the tip of the iceberg.

This brain injury triggered my underlying conditions and forever changed my life. I’ve spent years consulting with specialists, undergoing treatments, and receiving diagnoses. And, next up on the docket: Neurosurgery.

I’ve been waiting to get this surgery done for two years, ever since I was diagnosed with Occult Tethered Cord Syndrome. Now, you may be wondering, “What does that even mean?”

Occult Tethered Cord Syndrome is a condition in which the end of your spinal cord becomes attached to the base of your spinal column and creates tension throughout your spine and body. What this means for me is chronic pain in my legs, feet, and lower back, numbness and tingling in my legs and feet, mobility problems, severe urinary incontinence, headaches, trouble with fine motor skills… I feel like you get the point.

Long story short, it's painful, I pee everywhere, and I have to use a wheelchair—not ideal for a nineteen-year-old girl. The good news is that I can get it fixed by having surgery to remove the part of my spinal cord that is tethered!

Now, the reason you are reading all of this: I am having surgery at Rhode Island Hospital on March 26th, 2026 (yay!). But I live in Oregon, and in order to see the highly-specialized neurosurgeon that I need to, my parents and I need to fly to Rhode Island, stay there for 16 days, rent a car, eat, etc. Which, if you’re an adult in today’s economy, you know, is incredibly expensive (Boo).

So I’m asking you, if you have any extra funds right now, please help my parents pay for the surgery I so desperately need. And, if you read this far, please share this page! Anything and everything helps :)