Natalie's Amputation Recovery
Donation protected
On June 9,2017 8 year old Natalie Grace had part of her right leg amputated and at the same time in to save her knee and upper leg she also had a rod and bone graft surgery on the remaining part of her lower leg and then had an external fixator cage put on for healing. For about 2 months after her amputation she dealt with uncontrollable pain and insomnia that medicine, acupuncture and even distraction wasn't helping with. Recently it was determined that over a 7 week time frame Natalie's remaining bone had none to very minimal healing and that she would not get the cage off or get into a new leg when they had expected. While Natalie's parents have chosen to wait a few more weeks to see if there will be anymore healing, the only other option is to do the bone grafting and rod surgery all over again.
When Natalie was just 4 months old she was diagnosed with two medical conditions called, Neurofibromatosis Type1 (NF) & Pseudarthrosis. NF is a genetic disorder, that causes tumors to grow on the nerves throughout the entire body. Pseudarthrosis is a bone condition that can sometimes be seen in someone with NF. This effected her right Fibula and Tibia her right leg was substantially shorter than her left, and while she did walk, she was unable to bear weight on her right leg, which results in extreme pain, and balance issues. Over the past 7 years her pain has grown to unbearable levels, and together, with her parents and doctors, they have made the difficult decision to amputate and .
During this difficult time, Natalie's Mom, Amber, took an unpaid leave of absence from work to care for Natalie, but because healing has not been achieved she is not able to go back when she was scheduled to and is needs to take additional time. This decision,procedure and highly likely a second procedure is hard enough for a little girl, and her family to endure, and I'd like to come together and lighten the load, so they can focus on Natalie's recovery without some of the worry about the financial burden.
Thank you for your support and any contribution you can make to help lighten the burden for this very strong and sweet little girl!
When Natalie was just 4 months old she was diagnosed with two medical conditions called, Neurofibromatosis Type1 (NF) & Pseudarthrosis. NF is a genetic disorder, that causes tumors to grow on the nerves throughout the entire body. Pseudarthrosis is a bone condition that can sometimes be seen in someone with NF. This effected her right Fibula and Tibia her right leg was substantially shorter than her left, and while she did walk, she was unable to bear weight on her right leg, which results in extreme pain, and balance issues. Over the past 7 years her pain has grown to unbearable levels, and together, with her parents and doctors, they have made the difficult decision to amputate and .
During this difficult time, Natalie's Mom, Amber, took an unpaid leave of absence from work to care for Natalie, but because healing has not been achieved she is not able to go back when she was scheduled to and is needs to take additional time. This decision,procedure and highly likely a second procedure is hard enough for a little girl, and her family to endure, and I'd like to come together and lighten the load, so they can focus on Natalie's recovery without some of the worry about the financial burden.
Thank you for your support and any contribution you can make to help lighten the burden for this very strong and sweet little girl!
Organizer and beneficiary
Tammi Cassady
Organizer
Arlington, WA
Amber Shaw
Beneficiary