Help Marco Walk Again After Emergency Spine Surgery and Severe Infection

Before everything changed.

On January 5th, he fell from 3 meters.

He fractured his spine.

He was millimeters away from permanent paralysis.

We had no health insurance.

The public hospitals could not schedule urgent surgery in time.

Waiting was not an option.

To save his ability to walk, we were forced to transfer him to a private hospital and authorize emergency spine surgery — knowing we had no financial coverage.

That decision saved his mobility.

But it started a financial crisis we never imagined.

The Surgery

Marco underwent complex spinal stabilization surgery on his L1 vertebra.

Recovery was slow and painful.

He had to relearn how to walk.

We believed the worst was behind us.

We were wrong.

A Severe Post-Surgical Infection

Few days after returning home, the surgical wound became infected.

What started as irritation turned into pus.

He was urgently readmitted on January 28th.

Within hours, he was back in the operating room.

The wound was reopened.

Washed.

Opened deeper.

Washed again.

Then closed again.

Another surgery.

Another trauma.

He spent 14 additional days hospitalized on intravenous antibiotics.

During this period, aggressive IV treatment damaged his veins and caused phlebitis. His therapy had to be stopped earlier than ideal.

He has now been discharged.

But recovery remains fragile.

For the next 8 weeks, Marco must take two strong oral antibiotics and undergo constant blood monitoring to prevent reinfection.

He is fighting every day to heal.

The Financial Reality

The second hospitalization alone added:

≈ R$58,000 (~€9,000)

Our total medical expenses now exceed:

€26,000

Campaign goal: €30,000

Raised so far: €3,800

The surgeries saved Marco’s mobility.

But they put us at serious financial risk.

Loss of Income

Since January 5th, I have been by Marco’s side 24/7.

We are self-employed digital entrepreneurs. Our income depends entirely on our ability to work.

During this time, our revenue dropped drastically while medical expenses kept rising.

We are doing everything we can — but this has become overwhelming.

How You Can Help

If 2,600 people donate just €10, we reach our goal.

Small contributions together create a miracle.

If you cannot donate, sharing this campaign with just three people may help us reach someone who can.

And if you’ve been following Marco’s journey, even a simple “We are with you” in the comments gives him strength and helps this page stay visible so others can find it.

Your support — in any form — means more than we can express.

From Marco

“I thought I was finally recovering. Instead, I found myself back in surgery. When I've been called for a new surgery I got a panick attack, my little still weak world fell apart in seconds and I was afraid of staying alone, all kinds of negative thoughts passed through my head. Luckily, it went well. All love, caring and support gave me strength.”

From Our Hearts

Asking for help is not easy.

But right now, we truly have no other option.

Marco is fighting physically.

We are fighting financially.

If you can stand with us, even in a small way, it means more than we can express.

Thank you for reading.

Thank you for caring.

Thank you for helping Marco walk forward again.

Andrea & Marco

_____________ Italian version below_______________

Aiutate Marco a tornare a camminare – Intervento urgente alla colonna e grave infezione

Il 5 gennaio la nostra vita è cambiata in pochi secondi.

Marco è caduto da 3 metri.

Frattura alla colonna vertebrale.

Era a millimetri dalla paralisi permanente.

Non aveva assicurazione sanitaria.

Negli ospedali pubblici non c’era disponibilità immediata per un intervento urgente.

Aspettare non era possibile.

Per salvare la sua capacità di camminare abbiamo dovuto trasferirlo in una clinica privata e autorizzare un intervento d’urgenza, senza alcuna copertura finanziaria.

Quella decisione gli ha salvato la mobilità.

Ma ci ha portato in una situazione economica drammatica.

Complicazione: grave infezione post-operatoria

Dieci giorni dopo il rientro a casa, la ferita si è infettata.

Nuovo ricovero urgente.

Nuova operazione.

Ferita riaperta.

Pulita.

Aperta più in profondità.

Pulita di nuovo.

Richiusa.

14 giorni di ricovero.

Antibiotici endovenosi aggressivi.

Flebite e vene danneggiate.

Ora è a casa, ma la guarigione è ancora delicata.

Per le prossime 8 settimane:

Due antibiotici orali.

Controlli del sangue costanti.

Situazione economica

Solo il secondo ricovero ha aggiunto:

≈ R$58.000 (~9.000 €)

Spese totali superiori a:

26.000 €

Obiettivo: 30.000 €

Raccolti finora: 3.800 €

Le operazioni gli hanno salvato la possibilità di camminare.

Ma hanno messo a rischio la nostra stabilità economica.

Come potete aiutar

Se 2.600 persone donano 10 €, possiamo raggiungere l’obiettivo.

Anche una piccola donazione fa la differenza.

Se non potete donare, condividere la campagna è già un grande aiuto.

Grazie di cuore.

Andrea & Marco