Vocal surgery for Christina Dittenber

Hello and welcome to my fundraiser page! This took a lot for me to do but I know the end result is what's important. In the late winter/early spring of 2016 I noticed my voice was getting very scratchy. I was pregnant with our sweet Ella at the time and my Dr thought that she was sitting in a position that made it hard for me to breathe. With that, I was hoping to have my voice back after she was born. She was born September 8th, 2016, and when my voice didn't go back to "normal" after that, I went to an ENT in Lincoln. After not saying much at all, he said "I know what you have, you have Spasmodic Dysphonia". I was kind of taken aback because he almost seemed excited to deliver what now feels like a big kick to the stomach. From November of 2016 until May of 2018 I had a very choppy voice-my friends, family and co-workers tried to be supportive but it's such a tough subject. Spasmodic Dysphonia is not terribly common-myself and people close to me had never heard of it before and I think a lot of people (myself included) still don't really understand it. I have over-Googled the topic and I still am confused by it. People usually get it in their 40s-50s (I got it when I was 26) and when their immune system is weakened-which is the case when you are pregnant. Along with being pregnant, I also had a cold that happened when I started to lose my voice. By the time I had Emma on July 23rd, 2018, my voice was down to a whisper. A choppy whisper, at that. My last days of work before I had her, I remember a customer on the phone said "what is wrong with you?!". By the way...who says that to a person? Many things were wrong, nothing of which a stranger knows about, so remember to be kind <3 I've had countless comments and looks, and it's very draining and debilitating. When I was pregnant with Emma, all I could think was "I want her to hear her mom". August 14th, 2018 I got my first injection. The injections for SD are botox injections that prevent the voice muscle from contracting (spasming). Google, who is never wrong, says that it should last from 3-6 months. Mine make its right to 2 months, with a higher dose injection. So, 6 times a year I would have to go to Omaha for an injection that is very painful to get. I learned that there is a surgery called Slad-R surgery where they cut the nerves close to the vocal cord to correct it from spasming. This will be quite the process-I will need to travel to Wisconsin or Chicago, depending on which dr can see me for the initial consultation, and then I will need to go back for the procedure. I estimated the surgery and travel to be at or a little over $5,000 so I am starting to save & raise the money now for it. Like I said, it took a lot for me to do this but I want to live my life without all of the stress that SD causes both myself and my family. I truly appreciate anyone that takes the time to read this, support me, and/or donate if you feel inclined to do so. The money will go to the cost of the surgery, flights & hotel stay for Andy and I and some time off work that isn't covered. God bless you all <3