My name is Stephanie, and I have created this GoFundMe in hopes of helping our dear friend and sister in Christ, Johanna Duska, receive life changing surgery for her direly painful diagnoses.

Years ago, during one of Johanna's regular shifts as an elderly patient caregiver, a patient fell on top of her and Johanna was left with an injury to her neck and back. She had lingering pain and eventually sought treatment from a chiropractor. In one session, she was adjusted aggressively from skull to feet and was injured during this treatment but did not know the severity yet. It took several years and hundreds of specialists before she was finally diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), Erythromelalgia, and Trigeminal Neuralgia due to this chiropractic accident.

CRPS is the most painful condition on the national pain scale (NRS), often called "the suicide disease." Diagnosed with stage 3 CRPS, symptoms progressed in both of her legs, feet, and eventually throughout her entire body, even affecting her eyes and teeth. This is the last and most severe stage.

All 3 of these conditions cause neuropathic pain. This manifests as severe burning, electric shock-like pain throughout her body, redness and swelling in her extremities often aggravated by any heat.

She has tried nearly every treatment available including Ketamine infusions, nerve blockers, lidocaine, acupuncture, medications, and a spinal cord stimulator, which were all setbacks that left her still suffering.

The extreme pain caused limited mobility, being bedridden most days, but Johanna does not have a live in caregiver due to low income and minimal insurance. As you can imagine, she has great difficulty even sleeping, further contributing to her physical decline.

With multiple diagnoses and the complexity of Johanna's case, it has been a great challenge finding a doctor to treat her effectively and long-term, but after nearly 16 long years since her original injury, she has been led to a doctor who believes he can provide her with life-changing surgical treatments. Johanna's doctor is working to get one of two surgeries covered by insurance, but the second will need to be covered

out-of-pocket. We are praying for the entire treatment to be covered and for Johanna to be able to live with complete mobility and without chronic pain!

Johanna is living alone in various Airbnbs to be close to her treatment provider while her husband, Jamin, is living in another state. Though Jamin is doing his best to secure the funds for Johanna's living and medical expenses, these expenses exceed their income, which has kept him from being able to permanently join Johanna in the state she's living and receiving her treatment in.

There has been no physical security for Johanna during this time, but her great faith and Christ's provision has carried her along. Johanna and Jamin are both pastors of their own Church, a church without walls, called 'Overcome Church'. This is truly a lifestyle for Johanna. She encourages every person she encounters and changes lives along the way through her ministry and by her testimony as an overcomer!

I ask that you would kindly donate any amount to help aid in this life-changing opportunity for Johanna through surgical treatment and take a few minutes to pray for her, as I will leave you with her own words she shared when I expressed a desire to help. We aren't just believing for restoration, but resurrection power. Shalom!

"CRPS" may be called the suicide disease, but I serve the God of resurrection power. The one who speaks life into dry bones and breathes purpose into pain. My identity is not in my diagnoses, it's in Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of my faith. My life is hidden in Him, sealed by the blood and set apart for such a time as this. I will proclaim His goodness in the fire, because there's another in the fire with me and His name is Jesus. He is healer, deliverer, sustainer, and the joy of the LORD remains my strength!"

Johanna Duska