Help me to walk without pain

I had this belief that any pain is bearable, and they are not worthy of having surgery. Lately, my body wants to prove me wrong on this account.
I would like to introduce myself. My name is Shushanna I am a 22-year-old student from Armenia who studies to become EFL (English as a foreign language teacher) in AUA (American University of Armenia). Seems pretty normal huh? Sadly, it is not as simple. Let me Explain.

My diagnosis

Since early childhood, I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, and hip-dislocation. Both were diagnosed at the same side which complicates already complicated state. It’s because of them that my physical mobility on my body’s left side is limited. I rarely use my left hand and when I walk I feel pain in the area of my hip. My condition gets even more complicated with the fact that my left leg is shorter than the right one. These all effect my social life to the point that I need someone/caretaker to help me with my basic needs such as dressing up. My parents are the ones who took the role of caretaker willingly. I came to a conclusion above because of the many operations that I had to have in order to put my hip in its place. It was not enough as every 2-3 years it comes out of its place. This constant need to have operation took me to the path where I was in the beginning of this story. My only solution is to get implants. My doctors warned me that as I get older my hip will try to give up and it will result very severe pain around that area. I did not want to have another operation so, I thought I can take the pain. For almost a decade It was enough for me, but not anymore.

My turning point

This year every single step that I take it feels like my hip is moving, I hear the cracking sound. There are times when I think that people around me hear that sound too. My walk also worsens in accordance with that pain. My mother also had hip-dislocation, and she had an operation where doctors inserted the implant. That happened a year ago, the whole year she pointed me out benefits of the implant. I told my mother that I can hold it as I do not feel pain and I think that I can handle it. This year severe pains and changes in my walk made me think that my mother is correct; pain is not worth my stubbornness. So I let my defenses down.

Journey towards the Surgery.

A year ago when my mother went out of the country to have the surgery in Israel, she also took my medical history to get the consulting of another doctor. After Skype conversation between her doctor and me, he told my parents almost the same conclusion my doctors had here in Armenia. He stated that this was a rare case that hip dislocation and Cerebral palsy happened at the same side. He also advised that the patience would only worsen the pain, and it would be good to have the operation as soon as possible. Since that day my family and I have started to save up back money for my operation.



What I need for the surgery

We did not set a date for the operation. First, we thought to gather needed money than choose the date. As mentioned previously, my case is different, therefore it needs a different approach. Unlike standardized Hip replacement surgeries, a prosthetic implant will be individualized according to my situation. According to my condition rehabilitation would be longer. As the date for the surgery is not chosen, we are not informed about exactly how much the surgery will cost. Below is the minimal amount of money for standardized Hip replacement surgery. I will update, as soon as the date of surgery is set and an exact amount of money that is needed for it will be available to me.

Asking myself Why should you care?

I found out about this fundraising web page through a friend who said that they used it for her grandmother’s surgery.
After leaning more deeply about gofundme.com, I understood that everyone has a chance to become a donor, So I asked myself this question what would convince me to donate money for a total stranger. I came up with a very short list. Now reading this you might ask yourself So what?
My simple answer to that question is following: The greatest gift that a person can get is the smile on peoples face. The sheer joy that you can see in people’s faces when you relieve them of something that bothered them for a certain amount of time. This past year, my parents, my siblings lost their shine smile because they saw me in so much pain. My smile lost its shine as I wake up everyday with pain and sleep again with pain. Your support will be a valuable input for my healthy and happy being. I want to wake up every day and smile with my family members, because I will be able to move and walk without pain, instead with strength for the present and for the future.

Thanks in advance,

Best,

Shushanna