In January 2020, I’m having a rare surgery that will be life-changing for my bone disease. When I was 2 years old, I was diagnosed with rare bone disease, and I spent a lot of my childhood in and out of hospitals from the time I was a baby until I was a
teenager, having over 10 operations and is the sole reason I am able to walk today. My bone disease affects the structure of my bones and essentially makes them less stable and weaker, especially at the joints. Having a surgery that could change all is more than I could have ever dreamed!
But right now I am a hardworking college student and my insurance won’t cover a significant
portion of the cost. The implants alone cost close to 100,00 dollars, and that doesn’t
include the cost for the doctor, exams, hospitalization, etc. The insurance only covers so much.
I’ve been working three jobs while taking full time classes to save any amount I can for this.
While I’ve worked very hard to fund most of it, any amount of donation would be amazing, and I
appreciate it so much! I’m hoping to start here with my goal, but my portion well exceeds that. You really could help make my dream come true.
While people are acutely aware of my disability/bone disease, I don’t talk about it often as I wanted to
live life as normally as possible. However, my bone disease is permanent, I have joint pains,
and my bones will only continue to have issues. This surgery includes groundbreaking
technology that will strengthen my bones, fix bone alignments and avoid joint replacements in the
future. So, it’s necessary to fix now rather than more pain and more cost later in the future.
This surgery is so rare that it’s only done in 2 locations-- SoCal and the East Coast! During the
surgery, they would break my bones and implant metal rods in the middle of my bones. Over a
period of a couple of months, new bone would grow and by doing this it would solidify new bone
and allow corrections to deformities.
It’s scary to think about having your bones broken and regrown, but having this surgery means
so much to me. It means I will be able to address key issues with my bone disease that will
keep me living a more fulfilled life, where I don’t have to worry about the health of my bones as
much, or the ability to walk or other limitations now or in the future. So, your donation to help me
fund portions of what I haven’t been able to cover thus far is so greatly appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time and listening to my story & donating. It truly will make a huge
difference! What a blessing to be born in times of modern medicine!
[photo above includes a photo of myself in a full body cast at 6 years old, after my very first operation]
teenager, having over 10 operations and is the sole reason I am able to walk today. My bone disease affects the structure of my bones and essentially makes them less stable and weaker, especially at the joints. Having a surgery that could change all is more than I could have ever dreamed!
But right now I am a hardworking college student and my insurance won’t cover a significant
portion of the cost. The implants alone cost close to 100,00 dollars, and that doesn’t
include the cost for the doctor, exams, hospitalization, etc. The insurance only covers so much.
I’ve been working three jobs while taking full time classes to save any amount I can for this.
While I’ve worked very hard to fund most of it, any amount of donation would be amazing, and I
appreciate it so much! I’m hoping to start here with my goal, but my portion well exceeds that. You really could help make my dream come true.
While people are acutely aware of my disability/bone disease, I don’t talk about it often as I wanted to
live life as normally as possible. However, my bone disease is permanent, I have joint pains,
and my bones will only continue to have issues. This surgery includes groundbreaking
technology that will strengthen my bones, fix bone alignments and avoid joint replacements in the
future. So, it’s necessary to fix now rather than more pain and more cost later in the future.
This surgery is so rare that it’s only done in 2 locations-- SoCal and the East Coast! During the
surgery, they would break my bones and implant metal rods in the middle of my bones. Over a
period of a couple of months, new bone would grow and by doing this it would solidify new bone
and allow corrections to deformities.
It’s scary to think about having your bones broken and regrown, but having this surgery means
so much to me. It means I will be able to address key issues with my bone disease that will
keep me living a more fulfilled life, where I don’t have to worry about the health of my bones as
much, or the ability to walk or other limitations now or in the future. So, your donation to help me
fund portions of what I haven’t been able to cover thus far is so greatly appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time and listening to my story & donating. It truly will make a huge
difference! What a blessing to be born in times of modern medicine!
[photo above includes a photo of myself in a full body cast at 6 years old, after my very first operation]
Organizer
Natalia Koga
Organizer
San Diego, CA