Carrie’s Courage #carriescourage

We all know her as upbeat and resilient and above all, as a devoted single mother to three wonderful kids.

Unfortunately, Carrie has now entered a very humbling time due to her health.  Our friend needs help.

A long struggle with mysterious  symptoms (unyielding pain in her eye, face and jaw which is limited to one side her face) ultimately led to a diagnosis of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) in March.   The disorder is rare and can be debilitating.  TN is considered to be one of the most painful afflictions known to medical practice. (https://fpa-support.org/learn/)

As Carrie was coming to terms with this news and learning how to manage the pain and flares, she still didn’t feel she had all of the pieces of the puzzle.  Her doctor wasn’t interested in pursuing more tests. Despite living in horrific pain, Carrie had the resolve to push for more answers and sought a second opinion with a new physician.

Thank God she did.

This week, Carrie added a second rare diagnosis of Cervical Canal Stenosis. She has minimal to no spinal fluid in several areas throughout her neck.  (Spinal stenosis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic)

If she doesn't act now she runs the risk of major issues resulting in permanent paralysis with loss of all motor functions.

She is scheduled for surgery on October 7.  The procedure will reduce the outside ridges on her spine in several areas of her neck in the hope of reducing the pressure to allow spinal fluid to return.

The surgeon isn't positive this will relieve the pain fully but is confident this is absolutely necessary before she reaches paralysis.

On top of this emergency, her MRI also revealed areas in her brain consistent with a third rare condition, Multiple Sclerosis (MS).  (http://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS ). She is concurrently in the process of being diagnosed and will be having a lumbar puncture in a few weeks.

If you know Carrie, you know she is a hard worker and sole provider for her three children.

Her youngest son Luke, who so many in the Chatham community know with great affection, has a rare congenital syndrome which causes multiple disabilities and health issues. She is Luke’s primary caregiver ... if you see Carrie, you also get to see Luke! She also recently began employment as a nanny for a lovely family with young children. This arrangement enables her to work and have Luke with her all day. As you can imagine, these multiple health issues and urgent need for immediate surgery will greatly impact Carrie’s life.

She will lose income and she will need to find reliable and trustworthy help to care for Luke while she heals.

Carrie will be in the hospital for at least a week following the October 7th surgery.  Recovery could be as long as 12 weeks.

However, the seriousness of these multiple rare diagnoses will undoubtedly impact her life in the long term.

We are grateful for any amount you can donate for Carrie. The funds raised here will be dispersed directly to her to offset her daily living and medical expenses and care for Luke.

We know in these uncertain times, others are struggling in many other ways. If you are unable to provide, please be so kind to include Carrie and her family in your prayers or intentions.

We always knew Carrie was one in a million...these tests just confirmed it in another way!   Thank you in advance for your support ☀️