Hello, my name is Carla and I'm 26 years old. Back in June 2020 I had a mini stroke after suffering from hemiplegic migraines and vascular migraines my whole life. This caused a massive decrease in my left leg's mobility. At first I could not walk or move my toes and lower part of my left foot at all which was really scary, this has improved over time and with therapy (I can wiggle my toes!, but not move them separately), but I will not be back to my pre stroke self unfortunately.

It has been really hard for me to accept this new reality as I love walking and going on hikes. Right now I can only walk around the house as I still need something close in case I have to hold on to it, whether a wall or a chair, anything. Recovery is not linear either, there's times where I make a lot of progress (like right now for example, it's been a great couple of weeks) only to lose all of that progress during my next migraine. Thankfully, I have not regressed back to the start of this journey where I could not hold myself up without help.

Losing the ability to walk properly has affected every aspect of my life, I don't go out anymore, I have not seen family and friends in years, I am depressed, I couldn't continue working and couldn't continue to pay for therapy which lead me to look for remote jobs (still no luck), other forms of getting money online (little luck) and finally to ask for your help. As we found out my medical insurance wasn't going to continue helping me pay for therapy and I had little savings left, my therapist suggested me to get a foot drop brace which I wasn't too keen on considering at the start, they're bulky and visible and I still struggle with seeing myself as disabled. But I REALLY need to work, money is tight and remote job hunting has been extremely stressful with no perks. So I started looking for braces and I think I found the perfect ones! 

Why did I set the campaign at $600 then? Well because I don't know if I'll be able to get the money before the effort ends and also because I would like to get another foot brace to correct my foot's position while I sleep as it tends to rotate to the outside when walking or even resting. 

And well, another pair of non slip sneakers too if possible since my dog pretty much destroyed my trusty pair (I still use them though!). It's a bit embarrassing using them but I don't feel safe with other shoes. Back in December 2020 I went out of the house for the first time to my niece's birthday and I slipped on the sidewalk, broke my foot and sprained my ankle. It wasn't fun! That's why for now I rather use these until I can get a new pair. 

You can help me so much if you donate to this campaign! I'm convinced these braces are what I need to turn my life around and live again! Maybe go on hikes too, there's nothing I would like more. Imaging making that much of a difference. When you donate, you also subscribe to updates about my condition and progress with the braces. I want love for you to see the results of your good deed.