Dear Friends, Family, and Kind Strangers

This is Patricia! You might know me from my contagious laugh, fun-loving attitude, and HUGE heart, but what many people may not know about me is my long and continued battle with KERATOCONUS. The countless hospital trips, the Surgeries and side effects from my eye disease and the daily exhaustion that this disorder brings is just the tip of the iceberg of what I battle with behind the scenes.

In 2011 I was diagnosed with keratoconus and been needing to get surgeries for cross linking and cornea transplants. I eventually got my first transplant in August of last year and that failed epically. So in November of last year I had another cornea transplant and that was taking pretty good until I was in a tragic accident in may of this year that caused me to have a ruptured globe. I immediately underwent surgery to try to save my eye. In the process of healing I was in so much pain that I went back to the eye doctor and they did a B-scan and I then found out that my retina was detached and my corneal was failing again. So I had to go see a retina specialist, who then told me that I needed another surgery but this time it was a 2in1 surgery. A corneal transplant and a retina reattachment surgery. So I got both of those surgeries in August of this year and been had some long painful nights of having to sleep face down in a donut pillow for a week until the oil behind my retina evaporates and hold my retina in place. After the 3rd follow up appointment I was told by my Opthalmologist that my globe is shrinking. Which is caused by PAINFUL BLIND-EYE. So since my eye is dead it can cause me to have a infection that can possibly kill me.

After attempting countless alternative treatments and surgeries, I am now scheduled for EVISERATION (EYE REMOVAL) surgery. This surgery involves removing the contents of my right eye and leaving the shell in place and putting a silicone implant in to keep the shape of scleral shell. I would have to get a prosthetic eye once this surgery heals. Unfortunately, the cost for this procedure would be nearly completely out of pocket and is far beyond what anyone can carry alone. It takes a village, so if you can donate or help share my GoFundMe link, it would mean so much.