My wife, Melissa, and I are asking for support to help with Melissa’s medical treatments.

Melissa underwent a femoral catheterization for a cerebral angiogram in 2022 to rule out a dural fistula in her brain. During this procedure, her femoral nerve was inadvertently injured. This resulted in Melissa having permanent femoral nerve damage, daily pain, and a periodic limp.

After months of having an altered gait and periodic limp, Melissa began to experience severe right hip pain on top of the femoral nerve pain. This led to us seeing multiple specialists and finally, Melissa getting an MRI that revealed several hip injuries.

After an MRI in 2023, Melissa was diagnosed with a right hip labral tear, impingement, bursitis, and tendinopathy. She has been in physical therapy 2x/week since that time with little improvement. She’s also undergone two rounds of steroid injections which have provided partial pain relief but her pain always comes back.

To complicate the situation, Melissa was diagnosed with a genetic condition in January of 2024. Her condition is called Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). Due to this, Melissa’s joints are not as stable due to weak connective tissue and she has daily, widespread pain. Because of this condition, her orthopedic doctor wants to avoid hip surgery for as long as possible because she is considered high risk for complications.

Melissa is in need of two PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injections in her hip that are unfortunately not covered by insurance. PRP is a solution made from a patient's own blood. It involves drawing some of your blood, then separating out the plasma and platelets in a special machine to create a concentrated liquid that has 5 to 10 times more platelets (and growth factors) in it than your normal blood. The solution is then injected into your injured or damaged area to help the tissues heal. It can be used in conjunction with corticosteroids.

Each injection is $800 out-of-pocket. She needs two injections so that would be $1600 out-of-pocket. We plan to take Melissa to Philadelphia to get these injections, if we are able to raise enough funds.

As many of you know, Melissa’s journey has not been easy. From her teens to present, she has been diagnosed with numerous health conditions. Some of these conditions include POTS, Lyme Disease, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Occipital Neuralgia, Vestibular Migraine, Pulsatile Tinnitus, Hearing Loss, Long COVID, Asthma, Lumbar Radiculopathy, and early-onset Lumbar Facet Disease. These conditions impact every aspect of Melissa's day to day life but for those who know my wife, she always manages to smile despite her constant pain.

Due to my wife’s need for continual physical therapy and specialists visits, we’ve spent thousands in medical bills and do not have enough to cover her upcoming treatments. Our updated support goal is $3500. This would cover two PRP injections, physical therapy visits, and any other additional medical costs. Any donation is appreciated and if you’re not in a position to donate, we welcome words of encouragement and virtual hugs :)

Thank you for taking the time to read our story.

Sincerely,

Matthew & Melissa