My name is Saranique, and I live with Ehler’s-Danlos Syndrome. It is a rare, genetic, connective tissue disorder that makes the collagen in my body behave like chewed-up bubble gum, rather than an elastic band (like it should). My right ankle has been a chronic issue that has gotten progressively worse as I have aged. My heel bone is now twisted and pushed forward, causing bone-on-bone action and impingement on the end of my fibula. My arch has completely fallen, causing my toes to curl under permanently, and the major tendons and ligaments holding together my foot and ankle are very thickened by chronic inflammation and riddled with scar tissue. After the results of a recent MRI, my surgeon strongly recommended scheduling an extensive reconstructive surgery as soon as possible to avoid progression to stage 3/ankle failure.

The surgery recommended will involve removing my heel bone, cutting it in half, repositioning it with a bone graft and two bolts; 3-4 other fusions of “non-essential” joints to make my foot more sturdy and rebuild my arch, and re-routing, cleaning up, replacing, shortening, and/or lengthening a bunch of the ligaments and tendons that hold my foot and ankle together. My recovery and rehab are going to be pretty gnarly and expensive, and I will be out of work for at least a few months. As a small business owner, if I don’t work, I don’t get paid.

I finally took a leap of faith and scheduled my surgery for March 24. I will be admitted to the hospital for a few days after for monitoring because of my issues with anesthesia. Because of my emergency appendectomy in early January, the funds we had squirreled away for this surgery are pretty much completely depleted. The funds I am attempting to raise will help me pay for essential bills, copays, and post-surgical rehabilitation. My job is physical in nature, and I need to be able to take this time off to heal fully before I get back to the work I love so much.

I know there are a lot of folks in need and a lot of larger things going on in the world right now, so I’m sorry if this ask hits some folks the wrong way. I simply can’t put it off any longer, and my business is slow right now, making it a better time to do this logistically (though not really financially).

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading. If you aren’t in a position to help, please share this. I’m worried about how this will all work out, but I have always had faith that the universe would provide a path through the dark. I love you all and look forward to being more available and active in the community and dog rescue once this is behind me.