Support Sydney's Efforts to Recovery

My granddaughter, Sydney Bassett is a 19 year-old, smart and beautiful young lady with a very bright future. Since my retirement in 2007, I have played a crucial role in her life and education, taking her to and from school and other extra- curricular activities. She has always been a hard-working student from elementary to middle and to high school. She was on the Honor List at Seabrook Intermediate School for talented students preparing for science careers. She went to Clear Falls High School where she also excelled in Advanced Placement (AP) Programs. She participated for three years in the Duke University TIP (Talent Identification Program) for Gifted and Talented Students in Georgetown, Texas. She is highly motivated, ambitious, and determined to succeed. She planned to finish high school quickly and attend university to study medicine. She was due to graduate earlier than normal in December 2021.

On the morning of October 9, 2021 Sydney was involved in a horrifying car accident with 3 other girls. The driver of the car somehow lost control of her vehicle and instead of pumping the brake, she hit the gas, accelerated, and crashed into a tree. Sydney was sitting in the back passenger seat and was wearing her seat belt when the accident occurred. The seat belt prevented her from being thrown forward, but caused more damage by its restriction than it prevented.

Of the four passengers, Sydney sustained the worst and most severe injuries of all. She suffered a compound fracture of her right arm’s humerus bone that had to be immediately repaired, multiple body and facial lacerations and broken front teeth. The most significant injury she sustained was the Brachial Plexus Injury in which the brachial plexus nerve roots were torn (avulsed) from the cervical spine at C6-T1. She also suffered traumatic brain injury that continues to affect her short-term memory and eye movement.

Sydney has undergone multiple arduous surgeries to (a) repair the broken humerus, (b) harvest nerves from parts of her body and fuse them to the broken cervical nerves to help them heal and regrow and (c) suture and repair the multiple lacerations all over her body. And yet there are more surgeries to be done. This accident and its effects changed all her life and ultimately her hopes and dreams.

Luckily, Sydney is a fighter. Even with the pain and continual visits to orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, and physical therapists, she still completed high school early (as planned) in December 2021 and walked with her graduating class in May 2022. Due to her right hand being completely paralyzed, Sydney painstakingly learned to write, although slowly and imperfectly, with her left hand. Still, she faces many challenges as normal everyday chores are difficult, if not impossible, to perform with only her left hand.

Through it all, Sydney has remained determined to continue pursuing her dreams of going to college. She enrolled and currently attends Temple University in Pennsylvania. During her first year, Sydney experienced overall negative effect and feeling regarding her physical disability. She met with physical challenges in classes and labs. Sydney’s physical condition has manifested complications in nearly every aspect of her life, both in and outside of school. It has been heartbreaking for those close to her, to see the light dimmed on such a radiant, vibrant hard-working girl. However, she has learned THERE IS HOPE. Her team of surgeons believe, with a nerve grafting, muscle grafting and stem cell therapy, she can regain functionality of her right hand and arm.

Although this news is exciting and has given Sydney hope, the United States does not permit stem cell therapy, and Insurance companies do not cover it. Stem cell therapy is very expensive and most people who need it cannot afford it, like Sydney. Since the cost of the transplant microsurgeries are incredibly unaffordable in the USA and stem cell therapy is not allowed, we are appealing to all well-wishers to help Sydney regain the use of her hand, by raising funds to allow her to travel overseas to receive the surgery and therapy needed. There is a center in Aachen, Germany, that specializes in nerve and muscle transplant microsurgery. There is also a center for Stem Cell Therapy in neighboring Frankfurt. The plan is to follow the surgeries with stem cell therapy to enhance regenerative fast healing.

The estimated costs for the surgeries are:

· Nerve transplant and muscle transplant at about 30,000 euros each = $64,461

· Stem Cell Therapy at 21,000 euros = $22,558.

In addition to these costs, there are expenses for travel, hotel, medications, and incidentals.

Our goal is to raise $80,000 through the kind, generous and helpful donations from all of you kind-hearted people, to lessen the financial burden of Sydney’s treatment. No amount is too little. We appreciate and thank everyone who has taken the time to read and/or share Sydney’s story, and for the kind thoughts and wishes.

Clement Echetebu.