I have not walked in over five years now.  In 2020, I tore my Achilles tendon while skipping.  I had surgery to fix my tendon, but the entire thing became infected and I subsequently lost my calcaneus (heel bone) and much of my Achilles tendon.  I have had 10 surgeries and tried every therapeutic tool and treatment that has been offered to me, but I still cannot walk.  My next step is amputating my leg below the knee.  

Because no one really believes amoutation with a prosthetic will get me walking comfortably again due to nerve issues, I have been hesitant to do that.  After a long search, I found a doctor in Columbus, Ohio who runs the complex limb reconstruction program at Ohio State University who is willing to do a full limb salvage operation on me.  It is my last-ditch effort and could get me walking again.  We are hopeful, despite the previous disappointments.

It will be a brutal surgery, requiring at least a two-week stay in the hospital in Ohio.  My surgery is scheduled for January 26th.  Although my insurance company has agreed to cover some of the cost, the expense of getting there and back, along with the extended stay in Ohio, will cost a lot. One tricky thing is that my leg will have to be elevated for many weeks, making travelling home a problem.  

We are seeking help for getting me home safely, which may involve a charter flight or other extreme measures.  We are also seeking help for offsetting the out-of-pocket costs of the surgery, the stay, time off for my husband, and care after the surgery. 

My four kids' lives have been upended these last five years, along with my husband's and mine.  I use a knee scooter to get around exclusively, so you can imagine the difficulty integrating that into our everyday lives.  I cannot do many things by myself, so I need help for many daily tasks.  I continue to homeschool my kids, but even that looks different.  We are hanging on, but we are having a hard time.  We are hoping and praying that this extensive, 8-10 hour surgery will be just the thing to turn things around and allow me to walk again.  

If you can give, our family would appreciate it more than you can know.