Recovering From My Fire

Hello, my name is Renee Kessler, I’m 19 years old from Arizona. I have been battling a rare form of chronic pain called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) for the past 5 and a half years. CRPS affects the nervous system and causes the part of your brain that controls pain to malfunction. This malfunction leads to indescribably high levels of pain and hypersensitivity to everyday sensations such as air, water, even just putting a sock on. My personal experience has kept me unable to walk on my affected limb for 1.5 years and now at risk for amputation. After trying the majority of the protocol treatments and them being unsuccessful, my doctor was at a loss of what to do next. He then lead me to the Cleveland clinic. I came to Cleveland for my evaluations in January with plans to join the Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program (CPRP) after the waiting list cleared. When It came time to fly here on May 9th, I was really nervous and unsure if I could deal with the excruciating pain I was about to endure during the treatment. However, I fought the fear and came anyways. Unfortunately, when I met with the head of the CPRP he discovered my condition had progressed drastically since January and he recommended I undergo “pre-work” before considering the program. My brain is acting as though my leg is amputated- phantom limb even though I still have a left leg and foot. So my work had to start with retraining brain patterns before I could start maneuvering or even just touching the leg.
It is already July and I’m still in my very beginning stages of recovering from my fire. This is where I am desperately needing some help. Our insurance will not support this part of the process and as my parents were not prepared for the longer term stay in a foreign place, I have been here the majority of the time by myself, using my Bat Mitzvah money to support this pre-work recovery. The pre-work has to be completed before I can start the program and I want to get better, so this is where I ask for your kindness and help, I do not have enough funds to support myself to the end of this process. A friend suggest I do a GoFund Me page, so here it is! Please know any dollars will be gratefully received as this will help me complete my treatment to be able to start the real journey of recovery.