****UPDATE*** WE ARE ALMOST THERE!! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR ALL THE HELP THUS FAR.. **Carissa's first floor accessible apartment will be ready Aug 23rd. In addition she has finally been approved for long term disability benefits that will begin on September 10th. It has been a long road, but prayer and support have moved mountains. Let's keep it up for one more month and get her relocated ! *****Carissa Howard has been my best friend for 23 years. We may not be blood, but she is my sister! This amazing woman has been my rock, my inspiration, and my support through the last 23 years. She is the most caring, giving, selfless person you will ever meet. After years of being in pain in her back and nerve pain down her leg, it was discovered that she has severe neuroforaminal stenosis on her L3-L4. At L3-L4, there was a large far lateral osteophyte arising from right L3-L4. Facet joint causes severe neuroforaminal stenosis, compressing right L3 nerve root. On April 3rd, she had surgery to remove a golf ball size bone spur and spine fusion surgery. The recovery time is A YEAR! There are still several bone spurs in each level of the lumbar spine. She is in need of lots of prayer that the fusion takes! She has another smaller bone spur on her spine toward her neck that is also from the spinal stenosis . This will require further surgery.

Carissa is 43 years old and was a successful mortgage underwriter in the business for over 10 years. Shockingly, she will not be able to return to work due to her limitations and future surgeries. Unfortunately spinal stenosisis is a progressive condition. She has had to file for disability and issued a cane at such a young age. It is very uncommon for a young woman to be diagnosed with this far of a progression. In fact the surgeon has never seen anything like it. She is a single mom with a teenage daughter at home and a son in college at UCF. She is now being forced to move out of her apartment due to the rent being raised and being on the 2nd floor. While just walking can be challenging for her, going up and down stairs, is just not an option right now.

With all of that being said, expenses are piling up and that is the last thing she needs to worry about right now. Carissa does not ask for help! She is “the help”, she has always been “the help”! It’s time for her to receive help and it is very much needed right now* Please help support post operative physical therapy, ongoing medical procedures, relocation to a first floor handicap accessible unit and transition to a new way of life. * Please donate if you can, pray for her and her family, and share this GoFundMe. Any amount helps and prayers are powerful!