Urgent spine surgery in the USA is the last chance to save Patricia! HELP!

My name is Patricia, and soon I will be 19 years old. This year I have graduated from high school, and I should make plans for the future. However, my disability stays in the way of independent life. Since I was born, I’ve had to fight for my health. It is only now that I have discovered how difficult it is… I've already undergone almost 30 surgeries, countless hospital visits, and indescribable pain! 

Today, I ask you for support with all my strength left, so I can stop suffering and start to live like you...

I was born with a massive congenital spine defect situated on several levels of the thoracic and lumbar spine. Some of my ribs are underdeveloped, and some are grown together. I suffered from congenital ocular and kidney defects. Thanks to complex surgeries, I could recover from many health issues. Unfortunately, they did not include my spine. 

I underwent my first surgery when I was only 7 years old! It involved stabilizing my spine with rods. I have been trying to recover ever since. 

My life is a constant treatment rollercoaster. Additionally, the rod implanted in my spine broke and detached numerous times, so it had to be replaced immediately with a separate, minor surgery. Until November 2017, I had together almost 20 spine surgeries. Finally, the doctor decided to perform anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) surgery, which was supposed to end the whole treatment. 

The surgery failed and caused paraplegia (paralysis of both legs). Another surgery was required to remove the dressing.  

That is when I started my heroic battle to regain control over my legs and walk again. I underwent four surgical treatments within monthly intervals, which failed to fix the damage caused by previous surgeries. After ten years of struggle to save my spine, it had a 150-degree curvature. I had a temporary distractor put in my spine, without the possibility to exchange it for a safe dressing. All the main systems of my body were damaged! 

I had numerous adhesions between muscles and bones along the spine, a significant rib hump, of which I had not been aware, and my body weight dropped to 79 pounds (ca. 36 kg)! We were desperately searching for a different team of specialists, who would be able to help me. Finally, we found a doctor who agreed to take a challenge. In the first stage of treatment, he surgically removed some adhesions and stabilized my thoracic spine with titanium rods.

A couple of months later, the second stage of my treatment started. During the surgery, it turned out that my body was exhausted from countless procedures and rejected the dressing, which resulted in an inflammatory response around the screws. The doctors had to remove the implants, treat the infection, and put the rods back in place. My body, however, rejected another dressing. 

My doctor was helpless and recommended a few other specialists abroad who would be able to cure my spine. He advised me that if I decided to continue treatment in Poland, it might fail anyway. 

My therapy was over yet again, and I felt hopeless and desperate. We immediately started searching for another doctor who would be able to treat me successfully and end my misery.  

We received a quick response from Dr. Berven, who is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, CA., and a world-renowned specialist in treating spinal disorders of children and adults.  He asked for my latest test results and proposed an online meeting! After a thorough examination of my medical condition, he warned me that spinal surgery would be extremely complex, however, he declared to perform it on one condition—it should be done within the next four months, which is until the end of October! 

For over a year I have been struggling with my spine defects without any support. Every day I feel pain in my ribs, hips, and arms, my legs go numb, and it hurts when I walk. 

A gigantic abnormal spinal curvature causes constant pressure on my lungs and stomach, which results in sleeping and eating disorders. The only solution for my recovery is an appointed surgery in San Francisco and the application of a permanent dressing. 

Currently, I live with fear. I am afraid of what will happen the next day. The costs of surgery are enormous… Please, help me cover them! The treatment will save me and change my life! 

Patricia