Hello everyone,

It's been an extremely challenging year and a half. My name is Jen and I am fundraising to help pay for stem cell therapy to heal two degenerating discs in my lumbar spine. I am currently writing this laying down, which is how I'm forced to spend most of my time these days.

Long story short, at the age of 16 my scoliosis had gotten so severe that I had to have a spinal fusion and spent a year recovering in bed. At the time of my corrective scoliosis surgery, the doctors gave me a 10 year prognosis for when I would have to continue fusing my spine. For the past 16 years, I have been fighting like hell and doing everything humanly possible to manage my pain and prevent another surgery from being necessary. I was hoping that if I did everything "right" I would not have to face further medical intervention until much later. But here I am, needing to deal with this yet again. By now, two of my discs have degenerated to the point where they're putting pressure on my spinal cord and other nerves, which makes me absolutely miserable and causes unbearable pain.

I am 32 years old and want to live an active, healthy lifestyle. My life has already been significantly altered from my previous fusion and I hope to not have that happen again anytime soon. Fortunately, new medicine has become available that is less invasive, has a shorter recovery path, and can actually heal the discs rather than being another temporary band-aid. I'd like once again be able to perform normal daily tasks such as washing the dishes, be able to drive in my car for more than 20min, and return to work without being in agony. Even more so, as a yoga teacher and massage therapist, I have dedicated my life to being of service to others, to helping others heal and get better. With your help and the help of stem cell therapy, I hope to get back to helping others overcome their pain and hardships.

Stem cell therapy is unfortunately not covered by insurance and I'm currently not able to work because of my condition. Any help you can give is much appreciated.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you!