I am seeking to help raise funds for my sister, Hanna, who is soon to undergo a serious medical surgery.

Hanna has been on a long and difficult medical journey since the age of ten, searching for answers. She has seen numerous doctors and specialists over the years, but the road often led to more questions than clarity.

In February 2025, Hanna suddenly began experiencing severe neurological symptoms, in addition to the lifelong symptoms she had already been managing. After consulting with several neurosurgeons, she was ultimately referred to a specialist at Weill Cornell Hospital in Manhattan, New York.

After many years of uncertainty, Hanna finally received definitive diagnoses. She now has a dedicated team of three surgeons in the Chiari CARE Program who will be performing a complex and extensive brain and spine surgery.

She has been diagnosed with Chiari Malformation Type 1, Craniocervical Instability (CCI), and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). In simple terms, part of her brain has slipped down through the base of her skull, placing pressure on her brainstem and spinal cord. Over time, this chronic pressure has caused damage, including atrophy of some of the veins in her brain. In addition, the connection between her skull and upper spine is unstable, which has resulted in serious neurological symptoms and daily pain.

On February 23, 2026, in New York, she will undergo major surgery to relieve the pressure on her brain and stabilize her skull and spine. The procedures will include removing a small portion of bone at the base of the skull to create more space, fusing the skull to the upper cervical spine (down to C3) using a bone graft and hardware for stability, and performing a complex wound closure using muscle flaps to promote proper healing. These are extensive surgeries, but the goal is to relieve compression, reduce symptoms, and provide long-term stability.

Unfortunately, insurance is not covering the surgery, hospital stay, surgeons’ fees, or post-operative therapy. In addition to these medical expenses, they are also responsible for flights to and from New York, local transportation such as Ubers, hotel accommodations, and meals during their recovery in New York.

Any contribution will go directly toward these medical and travel expenses, allowing them to focus fully on healing and rehab. Hanna, her husband Conner, and our family are trusting that this surgery will help lead to Hanna's full healing. I am certain that Hanna would want you to know that the Lord is her Keeper and our eyes are on Him!

"I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;

the LORD is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

The LORD will keep

your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore."

(Psalm 121)