Please see the following plea from my nephew Paul and his wife Amanda . We’d be so grateful for any support you could offer. Poor family are absolutely exhausted and desperate to get our beautiful Lola the help she needs .
Lola was an active, sociable, and sporty 17-year-old who had just completed her GCSEs and begun her A-levels, dreaming of studying medicine at university. She loved spending time with friends, staying active, and had recently discovered a passion for rugby. After just a few months in the sport, she achieved county-level selection and proudly played for Warwickshire.
In March, during a routine rugby match, Lola suffered what seemed like a minor injury when another player accidentally stepped on her foot with studs. What followed was unimaginable. The pain she felt was far beyond anything expected from such an injury. After months of X-rays, MRIs, and numerous doctor and specialist appointments, Lola was finally diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) — something none of us, including her GP and physiotherapist, had even heard of before.
CRPS is often described as the most painful condition known to medicine, sometimes referred to as “the suicide disease” because of the relentless, unbearable pain it causes. It is a malfunction of the nervous system that sends constant pain signals to the brain, even without physical cause. The condition has taken away so much of Lola’s independence and joy for life. She now experiences constant, excruciating pain in her feet, legs, hands, wrists, tummy, neck, back and head. It also impacts her breathing at times. As Lola has deteriorated she’s having more days where most of it is spent in bed. Some days she cannot do simple daily tasks like opening a bottle of water, use a knife & fork or clean her teeth as her wrists and hands are so painful. Even on her better days, her pain never falls below 7 out of 10 on the pain scale.
Recently, we travelled to New Jersey for Scrambler Therapy, hoping it might ease her pain, but sadly it was unsuccessful. While there, we learned about the Spero Clinic in Arkansas — a specialist centre dedicated to treating CRPS with remarkable success stories, including from someone we personally know through a friend. The Spero Clinic offers an intensive multi-disciplinary rehabilitation programme that typically lasts 16 to 22 weeks. One family we met from Solihull shared that their treatment cost around £100,000, but their child’s life was completely transformed.
We are now desperate to give Lola the same chance — a chance to reclaim her life, her dreams, and her future. The cost of treatment, travel, and accommodation is far beyond what we can afford alone, and we are reaching out for any support you can offer. Every donation, no matter how small, brings us one step closer to helping Lola live without constant pain.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for reading Lola’s story and for any help you can give. Your kindness means more than words can say.
Please see the video below which explains the condition:
Organizer and beneficiary
Paul Hammond
Beneficiary