Help Me Pay For Shoulder Surgery

Hello all, my name is Alexis, I'm 24 years old, and I'm fundraising to get shoulder surgery in early October. I frequently partially dislocate my right shoulder due to 2 torn ligaments that stabilize the joint. I would really love to maintain my current adventurous and physically active lifestyle which is difficult and painful in my current condition.

I can still perform most daily activities and take care of myself, but there are many physical activities I will no longer be able to perform again normally without this surgery like swimming or lifting weights. I've determined that this surgery is most definitely necessary in my current state because I've dislocated my arm with little effort, like picking up my phone from my bed or just walking with too much excitement down the street.

Back in November 2021, while on a family vacation, I started partially dislocating my shoulder, which I learned is called a subluxation. Right away in November, I had 3 episodes of subluxations which were all incredibly painful, but I was able to get the help I needed.

After returning home, I went to go see an orthopedic surgeon. At that point, I had partially dislocated my shoulder six times and he let me know that I was beyond physical therapy and would likely need to get surgery. He put me on the list to get MRIs so we could investigate further.

After getting MRIs done in June, I found out that I have two ligament tears in my shoulder. I have an ALPSA lesion which is a tear in my labrum. I also have a partial tear in my glenohumeral ligament complex. These ligaments help stabilize my shoulder and hold the joint in place. These tears are the reason why I have partially dislocated my shoulder 11 times to date.

I will go under a minimally invasive surgery where they will use the MRI images as a roadmap for the procedure. They will put me under anesthesia and make several small incisions. With the help of a small camera, they will locate my torn ligaments and suture them together.

The cause of my injury is still unknown, but I believe it happened when I was sparring with someone in a jiu-jitsu class over a year ago. A classmate performed an Americana arm bar on my right shoulder with too much speed, power, and aggression, and I became injured before I was even able to tap out. I had yelled out in pain and then she stopped, but by then, it was already too late. I had to take time off from jiu-jitsu from the pain, but it wore off after a week so I believed it was just temporary. At the time, I hadn't realized that this would become a serious and permanent injury that would resurface later.

I currently do not know the full cost of my surgery - I am still waiting on a quote from my hospital - but it's likely to cost upwards $5,000. According to a Google search, the average shoulder surgery can cost between $5,000 to $22,000.

I am still paying off the medical expenses I accrued from meeting with my surgeon and getting the MRIs necessary to diagnose the problem. I am currently on a payment plan with my hospital because it's too much for me to pay for all at once.

I have determined that just $2,500 would vastly improve the state of my medical bills and help relieve a lot of financial stress on my end. For those who can help, I would greatly appreciate a small donation. I will still be paying a portion of my medical expenses on my own as well, in addition to the current debt I am working on.

To supplement my current income, I have become a dog caretaker on Rover (and hopefully Wag soon too) where I will be providing dog care services professionally. I already have my first client and I will be boarding a puppy for a weekend soon.

Thank you so much for reading <3 I appreciate any help and prayers I can get while on this journey to get a normal right arm again!

UPDATE: Fundraiser goal amount lowered to $2,250 due to direct donations through friends