Save Sonya's Life

Sonya Wise, mother of five, grandmother of four, and my amazing wife of 35 years,  is suffering from a very rare condition known as Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD).  While it may be reflex to make some kind of joke about that, I assure you her condition is no laughing matter.  Sonya has spent nearly two years in absolute agony with false signals going to her brain.  The signals tell her brain she is aroused, so her brain sends those stimulating signals out to the rest of her body, but there is no enjoyment or pleasure associated with these signals.  The constant state of stimulation has left her legs, groin, abdomen, and pretty much her entire body in debilitating discomfort and pain.  She spends as much as  20 hours a day in bed, unable walk or sit up without excruciating pain and discomfort.  This is a physical disorder.  It is not psychological and it is not imagined.

Little is known about PGAD, especially within the constraints  of the health insurance networks.  After an exhaustive and unfruitful search for help within our insurance network, Sonya located an expert on her own  in San Diego, Dr. Irwin Goldstein.  We paid out of pocket for his consultations and we were  able to qualify Sonya as a promising candidate for a corrective surgery with a spine surgeon he works closely with, Dr. Choll Kim.  The surgery, performed on April 2, 2019, was an amazing success, leaving Sonya much improved immediately, with a full recovery expected once she finished healing from the surgery.  To our horror, Sonya had a terrible fall during the night less than three weeks after her surgery.  The fall reinjured Sonya's back, and her symptoms became noticeably worse within a week.  Since then, she has been on a downward spiral.  All progress was lost and she is as bad if not worse than before her surgery.  To make matters even worse, our insurance provider declared the procedure to be exploratory or experimental, and not medically necessary, so they have refused to pay the fees associated with the surgery.  That decision is currently being appealed.

The fantastic news we have just received, is that based on undeniable results of a new diagnostic test on Sonya, the same surgical procedure which gave her relief in April, promises to save her again.  We need to raise $20,000 to prepay for the procedure and  associated costs.  Sonya needs this surgery immediately, and I am not exaggerating when I say that every day I am afraid she will decide she can't endure this any longer.  Here is a link to a CBS news article about  an all too common outcome (suicide) for those who cannot get help:  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gretchen-molannens-suicide-spotlights-debilitating-effects-of-persistent-genital-arousal-disorder/   But with your help, surgery and relief for Sonya could be just days away.

Please donate anything you can to save the love of my life, Sonya Wise.  As important as your donations are, your prayers for Sonya are also greatly appreciated while she fights to have a normal life again.

Thank you all,

Tim Wise