My name is Esther and I need a cleft lift surgery to help me defeat pilonidal disease. I appeal for your support. The past one year has been tough for me. I was diagnosed with pilonidal disease in April 2022. Pilonidal disease is a chronic skin infection caused by a pilonidal cyst. An abnormal skin growth located near the coccyx (tailbone) that contains hair and skin. Since the diagnosis, I have had several procedures to battle the infections caused by this pilonidal cyst. All of these have affected me physically, emotionally and financially. Whenever a flare up (infection) is ongoing, I cannot sit, lie on my back, walk properly, bend or even perform normal activities due to the severe pain. Every time the cyst gets inflamed, it is incised and drained. I am left with an open wound which takes 3-5 weeks to fully heal. The recent infection was drained on Feb 3. I am currently recovering while having wound care. I have been placed on several medications to battle this problem. I have spent a lot of money to make adjustments to cope with this condition, from hospital trips to wound care supplies and even travelling to where I can get post-op wound care. It has been an emotionally draining journey. I have just been trying to live. After several consultations, I have been told I need a cleft lift surgery to deal with this recurrent pilonidal cyst. Cleft lift procedure involves the removal of scarred or pitted midline skin along with the pilonidal cyst. This results in a less shallow natal cleft. With this, debris and hairs can’t collect in that area, thereby the chance of recurrence of pilonidal cyst is reduced. Only few Specialists in the US can successfully perform this procedure. In most cases, the longer the delay to have the surgery, the more the disease creates more tracks and cavities and the more difficult the procedure will be. So, I will be having the surgery in March 2023. Unfortunately, I have to pay out of pocket because my insurance does not cover procedures outside my health network. I am soliciting for funds in order to pay for the surgery, flight tickets and post-op supplies I will need. Please help me recover from this disease. I want to be whole again. Thank you for your generosity. You may also donate using the methods below Venmo: @asamudoe Zelle: [email redacted] (My email is hidden for security, if you’d like to use Zelle, you can send me a message here and I’ll share) Nigerian bank account information: 0126532701 Guaranty Trust Bank Lydia Asamudo (my sister)