Since 2011, I have been battling idiopathic scoliosis.
I’ve known for a long time that surgical intervention was going to become necessary as my curvature continued to progress well into adulthood.
If my spine continues to bend and contort, it will eventually begin to impede on my internal organs such as my lungs and possibly my heart, not to mention the pain the curvature causes.
I had resigned myself to the fact that I would have to do spinal fusion surgery which is extremely invasive and would permanently damage the muscles in my back when the titanium rods are placed in. This method would also permanently fixate my spine into one solid bone and I would not ever be able to bend it. I have had to quit colorguard due to the repercussions of such a physically demanding sport and the damage it had caused to both my spine and my psyche from knowing I moved differently from my teammates and that I would never achieve what they could. At that point in time, I felt as if my life were over.
At the very last second, a less invasive and slightly more expensive surgery became available again to me. Previously in 2017, I had been unable to consider this operation because of my age and bone maturity. Now, I have the opportunity to pursue this procedure as I fit in the parameters.
Unfortunately, this highly specialized care is outside of my insurance, and of course … I cannot afford to cover the surgeon’s fees on my own and my family has been working tirelessly to fight with insurance to try to get them to pay for it. The good news is the hospital itself up in New York City is within network, so a few thousand has been covered but it’s not enough to stop me from having to get loans or be in debt. I’ve considered every option on how to get $25,000 by June of 2025 and it’s just physically impossible for me having just graduated college. It’s also kind of alarming seeing the CEO of my health insurance was just attacked and not being able to predict what this will mean for my fight against the same insurance to get my fees covered.
If there is any way you could spare a few dollars to help me pay off my very much needed spinal surgery I would be forever indebted to you. My timeline for this specialized surgery is finite and I am moving ahead with it despite the huge financial burden because if I lose the window of opportunity, I will have to resort back to fully immobilizing part of my back forever.
