Save Anna From A Fainting-Goat Life

Hello! My name is Anna, and I'm a 22 year old graduating senior at George Mason University, majoring in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. I'm a human trafficking victim advocate, and I have plans to further my work in the DC area upon graduation in December 2018. During my freshman year of college, I was diagnosed with multiple chronic medical issues—now totaling seven different conditions. Thanks to the financial support of my loving family, I have already undergone shoulder surgery related to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and an operation for Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome, a rare gastric condition. Unfortunately, my family and I have already accrued thousands of dollars of medical debt related to my numerous hospitalizations over the past 4 years. Additionally, before my diagnosis, my mother battled breast cancer for multiple years, and my family already was dealing with significant medical debt. I have craniocervical instability in my C1 and C2, and that means I have structural instability of the craniocervical junction which causes direct impact to my brainstem. This is further complicated by my hypermobile type of EDS. I need neurosurgery to relieve this impact to my brainstem which causes chronic migraines, loss of consciousness (resulting in 27 concussions in the past 5 years), severe neck pain, and vision and memory issues. At this point, I genuinely cannot remember a time when I didn’t have a constant headache. There are very few neurosurgeons who are trained to work with patients with EDS, and who understand the complications associated with my other conditions. Unfortunately, the neurosurgeon with a reasonable success rate who treats patients with my conditions in this area only accepts insurance for the hospitalization billings associated with the procedure. This means there is a large lump sum payment before the surgery that must be paid out of pocket. My surgery is scheduled for early January 2019, as long as I can raise the money to keep the date. I am to a point between my student loans and medical debt where it is beyond my ability to take out another $15,000 loan to cover the cost of the surgery and my rent in Alexandria, VA during my recovery period. I will not be able to work for a minimum of 3 months after surgery and will have essentially no income to support myself during that time. I truly appreciate your support and your kindness as I start this journey; a simple share of this post could be the difference I need to afford this procedure that will change my life. Please help take away my physical pain and financial burden by contributing to this Go Fund Me, and end my fainting goat existence!