Elyses Life Saving Intestinal Malrotation Surgery

Hi, my name is Elyse Hohnerlein, and I have spent my entire life battling a congenital disability, intestinal malrotation. This deformation means all the organs, blood vessels, and nerves from my mouth to my tookus developed caddywompus. I am one of the lucky few who made it out of childhood undiagnosed and into adulthood misdiagnosed. The delay in treatment caused irreparable damage to my abdominal area, resulting in the loss of multiple organs. It wasn’t until I was 30, after the third surgery and loss of my uterus, that doctors finally understood what my lifelong illness originated from. All doctors up to this point had ignored the disorder's symptoms because I should not have made it out of infancy without experiencing an intestinal obstruction. Unbeknownst to the doctors, I have suffered many obstructions, and my miraculous body escaped death, but a cat only has nine lives, and mine is up, and without this surgery, I will be in trouble.

My second gut rehabilitation surgery will be performed like the first at the Cleveland Clinic by Dr. Kareem Abu-Elmagd. Here is an article about the disorder and the life-saving surgery Dr. Kareem developed and recently published a paper on. I am one of the 80 patients described in this study; https://newsroom.clevelandclinic.org/2021/09/13/study-describes-new-procedure-that-successfully-treated-80-patients-with-congenital-intestinal-malrotation/

Sadly, leading up to this much-needed surgery, due to my poor health and need to care for a gravely ill parent, I have not worked in almost a year. Like most things in our world, finances are in need, and without them, I cannot receive this life-saving surgery. These obstacles mean not only are there large medical bills to worry about, but there are transportation, accommodations, and food to be paid for. The financial situation is negatively compounded by the last decade of doing like journeys, numerous times, and it has put us in a dire situation which can affect me making it to Ohio for surgery this October. All my worry and desperation have led me here, to you, my dear friends, that I ask with much humbleness and tremendous gratitude for any charity you have the means to spare.

All money donated here will go directly toward my medical care, medical bills, transportation, and accommodations in Cleveland, Ohio. The recovery from this surgery will be long, with a minimum of three months until I can return to basic activities and six months to a year until I feel like myself. Your gracious giving during this time would allow me to focus on recovering and getting strong so I can live a successful and productive life. Thank you in advance for all your time and consideration of my family's plight.