Matt Ahnen Thankful for any help

My name Matt and I'm 36 years old. Nine years ago during the summer of 2010 after a full night’s sleep I woke up to get ready for work and I could not move my body from the neck down, I could talk and move my head. After getting admitted to the hospital and many tests, I was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis. At that time there was not a lot of information about this condition as there is now. Transverse Myelitis is a major disorder involving the central nervous system that causes inflammation of the spinal cord. It's a disorder that causes symptoms and signs of neurologic dysfunction in motor and sensory tracts on both sides of the spinal cord. People who have been diagnosed with this can have many if not all of the following symptoms: trouble walking from paralysis, nerve sensitivity, bladder and bowel problems, erectile dysfunction, permanent weakness, spasticity, and many other complications. I suffer from quite a few of these. This is a very rare disorder that there are only about 1,400 new cases of Transverse Myelitis diagnosed each year in the United States. They classified my condition as idiopathic due to being unsure as to exactly what caused me to have this rare condition. I went from being able to walk, run, and live a normal life to being paralyzed from the neck down and spending 6 months in the hospital. I have come a long way since then but still have a long way to go.

I'm hoping and praying for any assistance to help with my already accumulated doctor and medical bills and for future ones like physical therapy and a specialist who has studied and continues to study about this rare disease who can currently help me more now to regain my strength, health, and the ability to be able to walk on my own again. This will open many doors for me and help me to living a normal life once again.

Before I was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis I was working as a plumber and was attending plumbing school in order to be able to obtain my masters license in hopes of one day opening my own plumbing company. While working towards a successful career and getting my education I suddenly became paralyzed from the neck down and it has been a very long and emotional struggle ever since. I have a very hard time with every day activities, walking, and getting around as I am stuck on crutches. I also have other severe symptoms and am in severe pain daily from this condition, however I do my best every day to not let my pain and sadness take over and affect myself and the people in my life. I push through every day with a smile and good attitude and am very thankful and blessed to be alive.

This is my first time ever reaching out for any assistance as I'm normally the type of person that refuses to ask for any help but I'm at the end of my rope and hoping for some help to assist me in reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. I have also just met a neurologist in my home city whose focus of expertise is on Transverse Myelitis and other similar disorders, who believes can help me significantly. Since I was diagnosed with this more information and studies have been done to learn more about this condition and the medical advances are better now than they were when this happened to me giving me more of a chance to overcome my current situation.

On top of my Transverse Myelitis, my girlfriend and I were involved in a car accident in June this year where the other driver rear ended us 2 different times. I suffered from a severe concussion, which has caused me to be off work since June from the blackouts, memory loss, ringing in my ears, headaches, and more. This has added an additional financial strain causing us to fall behind on our bills like electric, mortgage, and water. After having the car damages repaired from the accident and getting the car back, shortly after the car stopped working due to the clutch going out. This was not caused by the accident so it won’t be covered by the insurance and will cost $2200 just to fix it to have a vehicle again to help get to the much needed doctor visits, physical therapy, work, and more. It’s getting harder to see the light at the end of the tunnel with everything piling up. Like I said before I'm usually the type to never ask for help but I don’t know what else to do. Your help will go towards the much needed medical treatment and physical therapy needed. Just being able to have the ability to walk again would open so many opportunities and doors to help me get back on track and to living a normal life. It would help me get back into the plumbing trade, plan and be able to marry my girlfriend and start a family with her and to be able to provide them a good life.

Any help I receive, I promise to pay it forward and help those who may also need it like I do. I am hoping and praying for any kindness and assistance possible to help give me the best gift I could possibly ask for, the ability to walk again. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I can’t explain how much it would mean to me for any assistance at all that you may provide. You will be changing my entire world in such an amazing way that I will never forget it and I will forever be extremely grateful for the help provided to me so that I may receive the medical treatments needed to help me begin to feel like me again and live a more successful and normal life!!!.