Steve Pfaff's CSF Leak Surgery & Medical Costs

My dad, Steven Pfaff, is suffering from a CSF leak that has left him in constant, excruciating, and unrelenting pain. His current pain-management medications hardly mitigate his condition, which leaves him bedridden and unable to remain upright for more than a few minutes.

My dad worked in construction my whole life, building beautiful homes for others to support my mom, my sister, and myself (a costly diabetic who didn't appreciate all of his love and hard work back then). Fast forward to around 2013, and my dad started getting symptoms of what we now know as a spinal CSF leak, draining the spinal fluid that protects his brain and nervous system out of his skull and spine through at least one leak in his lower back near the fusion sites from his previous back surgeries. The spinal fluid continues dissipating into the rest of his body, leaving his brain sagging and pulling on all his nerves when they should be cushioned by an envelope of CSF fluid.

After selling their home in Garden Grove, CA, my parents bought a plot of land in Parks, AZ, and my dad started building a home for them on that plot. The house should have been finished long ago, but the work stalled as my dad's condition worsened.

By 2018, the leak was so bad that he could hardly stand. Since then, he's seen nearly all of the top CSF specialists around the United States. Most doctors have turned him away, saying his condition was too challenging for them to repair. Of the handful of surgeons who did step up to the plate to try and fix him, none have been successful, and all have since turned him away, claiming there is nothing more they can do.

We love my dad dearly, and my mom has found a potential answer. This new surgeon, and possibly our last hope, is Dr. Arthur L. Jenkins III. He's confident he can go in surgically and fix my dad, and his earnest and eager desire to help is more than we've seen from any of the others. He's out of network for my parent's insurance coverage and asking for a considerable amount upfront. Beyond what he's asking, he'll also bill their insurance afterward, which will cost my parents more later, and all the attempts from the other surgeons are piling up. My parents still have some money left to complete their home, but with the additional cost of this subsequent surgery, they won't have enough to finish their home.

I'm sure it'll break my dad's heart to learn that my sister Holly and I are asking others for financial aid, but he needs to be fixed, and we're afraid that he's not gonna make it much longer. If he dies, my mom will be left alone, caring for my elderly Nana, with my dad's substantial medical bills on her shoulders and a partially finished home which she'll likely have no choice but to sell. Holly and I can't afford to get them out of this alone, and we can't just watch him die.

We're asking for the kindness of anyone and everyone. Whether you are family, friends, or just benevolent strangers, whatever help you can provide means the world to us.

Thank you, and please spread the word.

Sincerely,

Zac Pfaff