Donation protected
In September 2016 I had my first spine surgery, then at the end of 2018 the pain of hot lava and barbed wire wrapped around my right leg happened. The original cage that was put in my spine, dislodged and embedded itself into my S1 nerve. The function of my right leg was completely gone, I ended up with drop foot and every step I took was the most painful I’ve ever felt in my life. I ended up walking with a walker, and after seeing my spine doctor again, we had to do surgery to remove it off of my nerve. My last surgery was in April 2019, I was in an acute physical therapy facility to learn how to walk again then insurance would not pay for me to be there any longer, They ended up moving me to a subacute facility for another month, then I finally was released home and had home therapy for a month. Still fighting every day to get my leg back, still walking with a walker and I’m having to wear a foot brace for my drop foot. I have remained positive, people have told me that I am an inspiration on how to fight through medical conditions with a smile and making fun of myself. You have to laugh at things even in horrible situations. You need to stay strong and fight with every ounce of your being. I am still paying for my 2016 surgery and now I got medical bills from my 2019 surgery, I would just really like to get all these bills paid off and get them off my plate so I can focus on getting better, with it being a New Year, hopefully there will be a new and improved me. With the major nerve damage in my right leg, my doctor has suggested that I get stem cell therapy. Insurance does not cover this, but there is a hope that I will regain the function of my right leg. I have done my research, I have spoken to a few stem cell therapy facilities, and they are actually having a 90% success rate. All I want to do is walk without assistance, finally throw out my walker and maybe just maybe be able to wear my other shoes since I’m only wearing gym shoes right now because of this brace. Being a very active person before the spine surgeries has really made me miss my life. I want to become the person I used to be. I know I have stipulations I can’t do the crazy stuff I used to like skydiving, but at least there’s a chance I can walk again, drive again without hand controls, I can actually ride a bike again, walk up steps without struggling, just somewhat get back to normal life. I can get into the stem cell facility at the end of the month, but I will need to pay for it in full before I can set the appointment, once the procedure is done 4-6 weeks for the stem cell to "kick in".
Organizer
Samantha Guido
Organizer
Justice, IL