Help Kristina Offset Medical Expenses

As many of you know, my name is Kristina Lang. I am a 31-year-old young professional that is a junior administrator at Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance. I love running, being active, playing my cello and guitar, reading and creative writing. Unfortunately, I cannot do most of the above listed activities and have not been able to for nearly a year due to a severe spinal cord injury that has only gotten worse in the past 2+ months. The injury itself is a mystery - I woke up one April morning and suddenly couldn't stand up straight without immense sciatic pain. Since then, it has gotten worse.

I was admitted to the ER at the Hospital of UPenn on Thursday, January 6, 2022 for the worst sciatic and tailbone pain I've ever experienced in my life. I had to be placed on Morphine just so I could comfortably lay down in an MRI machine for 45 minutes for a medically necessary screening. That MRI discovered that my herniated disc that I developed in April 2021 had gotten dramatically worse. It is currently at the point where emergency surgery is required to save me from paralysis and loss of the use of my legs. I now have a condition called Cauda Equina Syndrome, which is s a rare disorder that usually is a surgical emergency because essentially, this means that my disc is severely compressing my lower spinal nerve root that is responsible for the proper functioning of my legs, saddle area, pelvis, bowels, and bladder.

Having turned every stone on my recovery journey, including (but not limited to): acupressure, acupuncture, deep tissue massage, 6 months of lumbar physical therapy, epidural injections, etc., I am painfully disheartened at my dramatic decline in the past month. I am currently reaping disability accommodations from my job to work remotely because getting to work has become an impossible task. I will soon be going on FMLA (Family Medical Leave Activity) for what could be 6-8 months in order to recuperate from my impending surgery.

I haven't even seen the ER bill yet, but I can imagine with an overnight stay and expensive procedures like an MRI on the bill, it will be a hefty one. I am a young, hardworking professional that is currently struggling to make ends meet due to the onslaught of unexpected medical bills that no 31-year-old is financially or emotionally prepared to handle. Any help you could provide would go a long way in helping me recover both emotionally and financially.