Rally for Sara Bruce

In 2018, Sara began the journey to find help for her hip pain. She has had worsening pain with walking and even sitting over the course of her life. At this point there are so many things she has had to say "no" to... taking walks, going to the zoo, hiking, running around chasing her kids. 

The journey to answers isn't easy
As her journey moved along from seeing one orthopedic surgeon to the next, she quickly learned several things:
1. she has severe femoral anteversion (where the femur is twisted inwardly and not sitting in the hip socket correctly, leading to abnormal walking and pain)
2. she would need to advocate for the right answer amidst a sea of specialists who thought they had the answers
3. sometimes the best resources are miles away, corresponding on Facebook 
4. there are no specialists here in Kansas City who do the type of surgery she needs 

Sara has now been to New York City, to Dr. Buly at the Hospital for Special Surgery. He has outlined the plan for surgery for each of her legs. She has also been able to talk with several people who's lives have been changed after surgery with Dr. Buly. They are so much more comfortable and have nothing but good to say about him and the results. So, Sara feels she has finally found the right plan for helping her enjoy an active life with her family in the near future. 

What this means:
Facing two surgeries 10-12 months apart in New York City means facing extensive recovery times and major expenses. Each leg must be operated on separately. Dr. Buly will operate on her left leg on June 6. She, Todd, and her parents will travel there for preop procedures on June 3. Sara will be hospitalized until June 9 and remain in a hotel starting rehab until June 15. They will return home June 15 and she will start intense physical therapy at home. She will be on crutches from the first surgery for 10 months and there will be five trips back to NYC for postop appointments. Then once that left leg appears on X-ray to be healed, she will start the process over for the right leg.  The expenses will likely be well over $12000.

Ralling around Sara:
Sara has already had such an outpouring of support from friends and family. The offers to help their family in big and small ways has been astounding. The prayers and encouragement will be just what she needs throughout the next two years to keep her strength in moving forward. 
We all ask that you consider a donation toward the travel, the hotel stays, the out of pocket medical expenses, and the time off work. As you all know, the world is a better place when we rally around each other in hard times and every little bit helps.

Thank you from The Bruce, Stroth, Warren, and Slattery Families.