Hi, my name is Hannah and I am a Contemporary Dancer based in London. I am fundraising for medical costs for an ankle surgery to remove an OS Trigonum (Accessory bone) in my right ankle that has been causing me chronic pain for the past 8 years. The surgery is scheduled for this Friday (14/07/2024). After 5 years of being misdiagnosed with tendonitis, I finally found out the root cause of my chronic pain- an OS Trigonum. This is an extra bone that only around 5% of the population have- and in most cases does not cause any symptoms. As a dancer, this extra bone causes posterior impingement which causes a lot of pain in my foot. The onset movement for this is pointing my foot (Which I have to do a lot in dancing) but also causes pain whilst driving, taking long walks, running, and becomes considerably worse throughout the winter months. The impact of this chronic pain is both mental and physical, I have had to adapt to dance around my injury meaning I cannot train in particular styles such as ballet as that causes the most pain. I have to monitor how much I am jumping and often have to take breaks during classes and rehearsals when the pain is onset. This has caused a lot of anxiety during jobs and training and socialising as I am never sure when the pain will come, and when it does daily activities such as walking become extremely painful and I have had to time off work a number of times because of the pain. Those who know me and have worked with me know how hard I work in this industry and will have also seen the impacts this has had on my life. The decision to seek private healthcare to undergo this operation was not easy, last week I had an NHS appointment where another consultant told me that he could not do this surgery in time for my tour. I have been on the waiting list for 2 years now and was initially told it would happen within 6 months. This tour is the longest contract I have undertaken as I was sure the surgery would happen prior and before this time, I have been unable to commit to long contracts in the past in fear I may have to drop out due to my ankle. This has meant not applying for dream jobs and forever feeling I cannot reach my full potential in my career. I have been looking forward to this tour for a year now and the thought of not being able to do it, along with losing 5 months of income, was incredibly upsetting and put me in a tough position. I decided that I could not carry on waiting for the NHS as more strikes are due to take place and my procedure being minor in comparison to life-threatening conditions I keep getting moved down the list. I cannot continue to keep dealing with this pain and the relief that I have felt making this decision has shown me it is the right decision to make. Unfortunately, I am having to self-fund this operation. I have been given an estimate of £5000 for medical fees, not to mention the 4-6 weeks of income I am losing as I am self-employed. I have applied to dance charities and organisations for grants to help with living costs whilst recovering, but unfortunately non can fund the procedure. So here I am making this fundraiser! I know times are hard in the current cost of living crisis, but if you could make a donation (However small) it really would make a huge difference, I really wish I was in a position to be able to afford this myself. A huge thank you in advance for reading my story, this procedure really is going to have a huge positive impact on my quality of life. I know times are tough for most people right now but would be so grateful for any help or donation, no matter how small - even just sharing my story. Hannah xx
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