Help Cameron Begin to Live Again

Dear Family and Friends,

My friend Sharon Hunter and her husband Cameron have been dealing with his very serious medical condition for 20 years. He has bilateral Trigeminal Neuralgia, and we are hopeful that with your help, he can proceed with a newly recommended neurosurgery. To better explain Trigeminal Neuralgia, he has a constant excruciating headache, facial pain, and jaw pain every single day, which is why it is known as the most painful affliction in medical practice. He is no longer able to work and struggles to get through each day. Although he tries his best to put on a brave face, internally he is constantly suffering. It has been draining in every possible way for their family.

After a long 7 month wait, they were able to see the top neurosurgeon in Denver. His Doctor firmly believes that getting a Peripheral Nerve Stimulator is Cameron’s best option, since they have tried everything else up to this point, and it has proven to be effective for his condition. P.N.S. is used to treat chronic pain, and involves surgery that places a small electrical device next to one of the peripheral nerves, with one on each side; along with the small battery packs that help power them. The electrodes deliver rapid electrical pulses that are felt like mild tingles, and this is what takes place instead of his pain sensory.

During the 2 week trial, the electrodes are connected to an external device, and if the trial is successful, 2 small generators would get implanted into his body. Electricity is delivered from the generator to the nerves using several electrodes. Cameron would be able to control stimulation by turning the device on and off and adjusting stimulation parameters as needed using a remote control. Their hope was that this trial will be successful, and they can then prove to his insurance company that it worked, so that they will cover the final procedure of them implanting the leads and the generators beneath the skin.

Unfortunately, their insurance has denied the claim and follow up appeal for Cameron to get the initital trial for the leads, as they deem it experimental. They are desperate for him to get the trial for the leads, as his quality of life and his willingness to fight through chronic pain is rapidly decreasing.

If you can contribute in any way towards making this dream a reality, they would sincerely appreciate it.

Best,

Suzanne Swan