Healing Candice - Fistula Surgery in India

On October 18, 2022, Candice was admitted to the hospital for severe sepsis and was in the beginning stages of septic shock. Her blood pressure plummeted and her kidneys were failing. Once she was stabilized, doctors said that had she waited 30 more minutes, she wouldn't be alive. Candice was released three days later despite feeling weak and in pain. A day after her release, the pain intensified, and she was taken to an urgent care, where a lump was discovered on the inside of her thigh. She sought help from two specialists - one eventually performing an incision and drainage (I&D), as it was suspected to be a cyst. The following week was excruciating, as the mass grew and the pain became debilitating. Candice's doctors were contacted again, and she was instructed to return to the hospital just two weeks after her initial release. A CT scan was conducted and indicated that the mass had tripled in size. Candice had her very first surgery on November 3, 2022. Her surgeon advised that an abscess had formed due to the sepsis. The surgeon left the wound open in order to heal, but it required Candice to be seen every day at the hospital by an infectious disease doctor for daily antibiotic injections and have a home-care nurse travel to her home three times a week for wound care. Eventually, Candice received a PICC line and was taught how to self-administer the antibiotics at home. This went on until January 2023.

By late February 2023, Candice had a reoccurring abscess and had seven I&Ds. An MRI was ordered, and on March 21, 2023, it was discovered that she had a fistula (an abnormal connection between two parts inside of the body). She underwent her second surgery on March 24th where a seaton was placed. A third surgery, an advancement flap, was conducted on May 24. Unfortunately, that surgery failed and made Candice's condition much worse. To date, Candice has experienced consistent pain, drainage, and bleeding. Due to the severity of the situation, Candice has been unable to work for approximately a year.

Candice's surgeon informed her that the next surgery would consist of giving her a colostomy bag for at least a year, muscle transfer from either her upper arm or thigh, and bowel reconstruction. Even these extreme surgeries do not guarantee success. Candice, her husband, Nathan, and her family have exhausted every form of healing in the United States. Each procedure and surgery comes with a 20%-40% success rate and typically requires multiple invasive surgeries and extensive healing time.

After much research and speaking to individuals with the same, or similar conditions, a fistula specialist, Dr. Ashwin Porwal, was located in Pune, India. His procedure, the distal laser proximal ligation (DLPL), has a 99% success rate. Candice has spoken to multiple individuals from all over the globe who have been healed by this surgeon at Healing Hands in India. At this time, this appears to be the safest and highest-potential option for Candice to regain her life and move forward from this traumatic, life-altering experience. She desperately needs to be fully healed so she can be afforded the opportunity to be her best self for her new husband and their son. If left untreated, Candice continues to runs the risk of developing more abscesses and going septic once again. This has taken a serious physical, mental, and emotional toll on Candice.

We want to help, and we’re reaching out to you all in the hopes that you can help us raise the funds needed to alleviate the burden of these medical bills. Your generosity, no matter the amount, will make an incredible impact on Candice's journey to healing. All proceeds will go directly toward the expenses of obtaining the surgery and helping the family during this difficult time. Candice will provide updates regarding her progress toward the journey to India and her healing while in India. We thank you all.