Alana McCarthy's Medical Fund
Donation protected
My name is Lisa Crider, and I'm starting this fund for my sister Jenny McCarthy, and her 14 year old daughter Alana.
A year and a half ago, Alana was a happy healthy soccer player, until the day she suffered a foot injury on the field. The foot recovered, but her body did not. Despite physical therapy, the foot pain kept reoccuring. Every time it came back, it did so with a vengeance. It would come back stronger, and began creeping up her leg. The pain type varies at times among: sensation of a thousand bee stings, extreme hypersensitivity, discoloration, numbness, tingling, feeling like a blow torch to her foot, extreme temperature variation. The pain is so extreme that patients, Alana included, have asked for an amputation.
After visiting many doctors, she was finally diagnosed with CRPS or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, formerly called RSD. CRPS is a "chronic systemic disease" that may initially affect a limb, but typically spreads throughout the body. "CPRS is associated with dysregulation of the central nervous system and autonomic nervous system resulting in multiple function loss, impairment, and disability." The cause is unknown.
There is no cure for this disease. There are therapies; drug, physical, psychological. The one that Alana is going to participate in is at the Cleveland Clinic. There she will do physical & psychological therapies. Children with this often fall behind in school (she hasn't yet) as they can't attend, and get ostracized by their friends, as they're often too sick to participate. This program will not be a cure, but the hope is it will provide an improvement, a better quality of life than what she has now.
Alana's insurance has denied the cost of the inpatient Clinic treatment. (In fact they deny most of the cost of any treatment. She needs physical therapy 3x a week, and they only pay 30 visits a year.) They have agreed to partially pay for a 3 week outpatient treatment.
The expected out-of-pocket cost for my sister is approximately $10,000. That doesn't include travel expenses. My sister is a divorced, single mother of 3, who like many of us, lives check to check. There is no bank account, no home equity to tap into (thank you recession)!
My sister is one who would give anyone the shirt off her back, has given to gofundmes, volunteers in the classroom, and now she needs help! If there is anything you can donate, even $1, we would all be forever grateful!
A year and a half ago, Alana was a happy healthy soccer player, until the day she suffered a foot injury on the field. The foot recovered, but her body did not. Despite physical therapy, the foot pain kept reoccuring. Every time it came back, it did so with a vengeance. It would come back stronger, and began creeping up her leg. The pain type varies at times among: sensation of a thousand bee stings, extreme hypersensitivity, discoloration, numbness, tingling, feeling like a blow torch to her foot, extreme temperature variation. The pain is so extreme that patients, Alana included, have asked for an amputation.
After visiting many doctors, she was finally diagnosed with CRPS or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, formerly called RSD. CRPS is a "chronic systemic disease" that may initially affect a limb, but typically spreads throughout the body. "CPRS is associated with dysregulation of the central nervous system and autonomic nervous system resulting in multiple function loss, impairment, and disability." The cause is unknown.
There is no cure for this disease. There are therapies; drug, physical, psychological. The one that Alana is going to participate in is at the Cleveland Clinic. There she will do physical & psychological therapies. Children with this often fall behind in school (she hasn't yet) as they can't attend, and get ostracized by their friends, as they're often too sick to participate. This program will not be a cure, but the hope is it will provide an improvement, a better quality of life than what she has now.
Alana's insurance has denied the cost of the inpatient Clinic treatment. (In fact they deny most of the cost of any treatment. She needs physical therapy 3x a week, and they only pay 30 visits a year.) They have agreed to partially pay for a 3 week outpatient treatment.
The expected out-of-pocket cost for my sister is approximately $10,000. That doesn't include travel expenses. My sister is a divorced, single mother of 3, who like many of us, lives check to check. There is no bank account, no home equity to tap into (thank you recession)!
My sister is one who would give anyone the shirt off her back, has given to gofundmes, volunteers in the classroom, and now she needs help! If there is anything you can donate, even $1, we would all be forever grateful!
Organizer and beneficiary
Lisa Rapley Crider
Organizer
Huron Township, MI
Jennifer McCarthy
Beneficiary