Alexia Getz Survival Fund

Whether you know Alexia Getz as a co-worker, family member, or friend, the odds are that you don't know about her day-to-day struggles with Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease.

Legg-Calve-Perthes occurs when too little blood is supplied to the ball portion of the hip joint. Because this ball never got enough blood, the bone never formed correctly, weakening it. This resulted in Lex's femur forming incorrectly, causing her right leg to be substantially shorter than the other. Because of how our spines are designed, the back pain that Lex has dealt with on a daily basis is more than most people can imagine.

Lex has lived with these complications her entire life, and even though she stoically hid her pain from the rest of us, the severity of that pain has been gradually increasing from the day that she was born until now.

Lex has always known that her Legg-Calve-Perthes would ultimately result in the need for a total hip replacement, but because life refuses to pause, she pushed through the pain for longer than she should have, causing the need for a pelvic reconstruction, as well.

Lex pushed her body as far as it could go, and in the first week of March, her body let her know that it was no longer willing to cooperate. Her femoral head popped out of her pelvis and drastically limited her ability to walk. The day Lex always knew was coming was finally here even though she wasn't financially prepared.

On March 7th, 2022 Lex ended up in the emergency room, unable to walk or work. Although she knew that this day was coming, there was a miscommunication between the benefits department while she was out on covid leave and she was marked as "rejecting" short-term disability. This has left Lex burdened with the inability to work and no way to pay her day-to-day expenses, let alone any of her continually growing medical debt.

On April 21st, 2022, Lex underwent surgery not only to replace her hip but also to lengthen her femur and reconstruct her pelvis. She is now facing grueling physical therapy and a very long road to recovery. Unfortunately, her primary concern is not recovering physically; it's the financial damage this whole process has caused that is keeping her up at night.

Due to her health insurance policy changing in January of this year, she is responsible for 4,000.00 for her surgery and the cost of physical therapy and any and all prescriptions prescribed to her. The goal of meeting these financial demands seems entirely unreachable due to her physical limitations and inability to work. Currently, Lex is struggling to even find the gas money to get her to her physical therapy.

Lex is the type of person that I know, without a doubt, will always show up for a friend in need. Right now, Alexia IS the friend in need.

Any contribution, whether monetary, a share, or even just a like is extremely appreciated.