Get AJ walking again

Anna Pettit is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

I'm asking for people who can to donate to help my favorite person in the whole world, my partner and best friend. AJ (Alex) was in a motorcycle accident in 2017. He fractured his fibula and had to have it surgically repaired. We thought he would heal from the surgery and that would be that. Unfortunately, months after his surgery, he still had severe pain and was unable to walk on his left leg. After many appointments with doctors, he was diagnosed with a rare disease called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or CRPS. CRPS usually occurs after a break in a limb and there is no known "cure". It is a neuropathic condition that causes severe nerve pain, numbness and difficulty with mobility. It can also cause balance issues and can affect more than the area that was originally injured. In AJ's case, he has pain 24/7 in his left leg, toes to thigh; and has to use a cane to walk (which is still very painful). He has tried many therapies and seen countless practitioners and nothing has really helped. He heard about a brace that is made specifically for this type of condition as well as pain from other injuries. The ExoSym brace was originally developed for military and special forces that had injured legs from combat. The brace has successfully given life back to thousands, many of which have been able to return to the military or combat duties. The brace maker realized that there was a need for this brace for civilians and started working with the Hanger company to make these braces available to the general public. The ExoSym brace is only made at the Hanger Clinic in Gig Harbor, WA, and only made by the one person and his team. We were able to visit the clinic in Washington and AJ was evaluated and determined that the brace could potentially benefit him. So his leg was casted and a fiberglass prototype was created to see if it aided in AJ's ability to walk. After 3 days of anticipation, AJ went back to the clinic to try out the prototype. AJ walked without a cane for the first time in 3 years! And the prototype only has about 30% of the potential that the actual brace would have. In most CRPS patients that start using this brace, pain diminishes with time and for some, pain is completely gone after months of using the brace. I know this is a lot to read, but bare with me. The insurance only covers $750 of this brace. The other costs are out of pocket. The ExoSym program is not just the creation of the brace for AJ, it includes 7 days of intensive physical therapy at the Hanger Clinic in Gig Harbor. Then continued physical therapy locally at the direction of the therapist in Washington. The out-of-pocket cost of the brace and initial 7 day training is about $8,300. This does not include the cost of traveling to Washington for the training or any continuing physical therapy. Anything you can consider donating is so appreciated. If you know AJ, you know how much he cares for everyone around him. He would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. Thanks for considering and feel free to share this page to get the word out there!