Hi everyone, my name is Kylee Caudill. I’m 34 years old and live in Milltown, Indiana. I've set up this fundraiser because on October 13, 2026, I am undergoing a major brain surgery called Microvascular Decompression (MVD), and I am facing six full weeks off work with zero income. I’m reaching out to my community, friends, and anyone reading this for some support to help keep me afloat while I recover.

Living with Trigeminal Neuralgia

In October 2023, I was diagnosed with a rare neurological condition called Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN). It affects the main nerve in your face and causes severe, excruciating facial pain.

For me, it feels like a constant tingling and burning on the right side of my face. Then at random I get sudden, sharp electric shocks. It literally feels like an ice pick is being jammed into my jaw. These agonizing flare ups almost always come at random. TN is an incurable condition that gets progressively worse over time, and these last few years, it has quite literally stolen my life. TN is the first thought I have in the morning and last thought before I fall asleep, it's always on my mind. I'm always in a state of fear.

Why Surgery is the Next Step

I’ve been managing this with three daily medications, including the maximum dose of my main medication, Carbatrol (1,200 mg daily). But over the past few months, the pain has been steadily breaking through anyway. Medication isn't controlling my pain anymore, which means my next step in treatment is MVD brain surgery.

During the surgery, my neurosurgeon will make an opening behind my ear, locate the blood vessel wrapped around my trigeminal nerve, and place cushioning between them to stop the compression. I’m scared, but I’m even more scared of what my life looks like if I don't get this surgery. I am so optimistic that this will finally give me my life back so my husband, Kevin, and I can start moving forward again.

Why I Need Help & Where the Funds Go

My surgeon confirmed that I will need six full weeks off work to properly heal from brain surgery. Because severe TN flare ups forced me to miss so much work earlier this year, I unfortunately haven't accumulated enough hours to qualify for paid leave under FMLA. Being off work for six weeks with zero income is almost as scary as the surgery itself.

My total overall need for the full six weeks, medical buffer, and fees comes to $3,250. To make this goal more achievable right out of the gate, I am starting with an initial goal of $1,625 (exactly half) to cover my immediate needs as I go into surgery.

Here is how the initial $1,625 goal breaks down:

$1,200 covers my first 3 weeks of lost wages so that bills stay paid while I begin healing.

$375 goes toward a post op buffer for medical supplies, prescriptions, gas to follow up appointments, recovery necessities, etc.

$50 covers standard GoFundMe transaction processing fees for this phase.

Once we reach this first milestone, I plan to raise the goal to cover the remaining three weeks of my recovery.

I know times are hard for a lot of people right now, but please know I will be deeply grateful for any support at all. Whether that’s a small donation, sharing my link with your friends, or just keeping me in your thoughts and prayers on October 13th.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and for helping me get through this.