Hi everyone. As most of you know, I lost my right lower leg on March 31st, 2022. Even though this surgery has helped me get back to living my life, it hasn’t been great. My prosthetic hasn’t ever fit the greatest. Don’t get me wrong, Mary Free Bed is amazing and has done an amazing job. The problem is I can’t feel the ground because my prosthetic doesn’t transfer the feeling to anything in my body.

Over the course of a year and a half, I have been debating and talking with my doctor about a procedure called osseointegration. This is where they create a rod and insert it into my tibia, which they then connect a foot to, giving me return through my bone so I have a sense of the ground. It will give me a better sense of balance. I would never have to have a prosthetic that doesn’t fit well or limit me from life.

Unfortunately, I’m fighting with insurance to cover the surgery. This surgery is fairly new, and limited doctors perform this surgery. The doctor who is going to perform this surgery is in New York. He is one of the leading doctors in this field. He is amazing. I know a few people who’ve had this surgery performed by him, and it was life-changing. It has helped them get back to as normal of a life as they can with an amputation.

I need help from family, friends, and anyone willing to help me. I hate asking for help, especially monetarily. I’m asking for help to cover expenses and some of the cost of the surgery. The doctor’s cost, just to perform the surgery, is $29,000. I’m hoping that insurance will help with some of that. Beth and I have been saving money to help cover some of the expenses (airfare, hotel stays, and the actual cost of the surgery). I’m scheduled for surgery on Thursday, October 23rd. On October 12th, I fly to New York to have all of my pre-op screening done on the 13th. Then on October 22nd, I fly back to New York to have my surgery on the 23rd. I know I have to fly back out to New York for at least 3 check-ups. Mary Free Bed will be doing my rehab and attaching my foot hardware, which I know insurance will cover.

Again, I hate to ask for help, but I need it, please. Anything will help, no matter the dollar amount. If you could please help me achieve this surgical goal and reclaim an active life to its fullest.

Thank you in advance for any and all help. I greatly appreciate it. If you have any questions, please reach out to me.