Hi, my name is Vanessa and I have been friends with Naomi for over 7 years, sharing a house in Brisbane. In February this year, Naomi started to have intense leg pain, which over the following months became constant from her lower back to her ankle, making walking, sitting and standing extremely difficult. The pain increased in severity until May when she went to the ER for pain relief. She was referred for further imaging by her doctor and the eventual diagnosis was arthritis in a facet joint, with a cyst that is compressing the nerve root. Despite corticosteroid injections and pain medications, Naomi has had little relief from this excruciating pain for multiple months and now requires surgery. Although expecting to have to wait months for surgery in the public health system, thankfully Naomi’s private health insurance covers the operation. She was due to have the procedure in mid-June but that was canceled because of an earlier Covid infection, and she is now booked in for surgery on Tuesday the 18th of July. After this, Naomi will have to undertake rehabilitation, with an estimated 3-6 months before she will be fully recovered. Many of us know Naomi as a dear friend and bright light in the community, who has been studying for her Masters, teaching singing from home and performing regularly. What many don’t know is that Naomi has lived with chronic illness for over fifteen years, with chronic migraine/daily headache syndrome, chronic neck/upper back pain, and more recently debilitating fatigue from long covid. With this added condition and the need for surgery, Naomi needs our support to recover and return to the work and life that she loves. While many of Naomi’s expenses are covered by Medicare and her private health fund, there have been many extra expenses for her in the last few months and there will continue to be significant out-of-pocket costs for doctors’ appointments, physiotherapy, medication, and the costs of the surgery including hospital excess and an anesthetist. The pain has also meant that these thousands of dollars in extra costs have come when she is unable to teach and has had to cancel upcoming performances and so does not have her full income coming in. Unfortunately, Naomi is not on NDIS as this is a temporary disablement so is not eligible. Naomi estimates that altogether the costs of her medical needs during this time will be about $6000. She hopes to be able to return to teaching in August, and so is hoping to pay for half of this amount on her own. We are hoping that the community can help us raise the rest. We know that many people are struggling to meet the rising cost of living – please know that any amount will help her to meet these out-of-pocket expenses at a time when it is difficult for her to earn money. You can also help us by sharing the fundraiser with friends and family or sending messages of encouragement to Naomi as she undergoes her surgery and recovery. Thank you for your time and support!
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