My friend is 28 years old and has nearly lost the ability to eat due to the severe deterioration of her jaw joints caused by ankylosing spondalitis. Her friends from around the world recently made donations so we could to send her from Utah to the Mayo Clinic in MN where she learned last week of a procedure where they can perform 2 jaw joint replacements and one "break the jaw" surgery to bring her lower jaw forward. These joint replacements are only performed one place in the world - at the Mayo - and therefore the waiting list is long. Due to the severity of her case, the doctor said she will go to the top of the list. So what is my question?
Is anyone aware of any foundations or groups that are looking to sponsor AS or arthritis patients in need? I led the donation campaign to get my friend to the Mayo for this trip and we raised $2,000 and we will be seeking further financial help to make the next 3 trips for these 3 surgeries. The funds we need will be significantly more and I could use any advice you might have. Thank you. Susan Armstrong