Ruby Chamberlain, originally from Houghton-on-the-Hill in Leicestershire, was diagnosed with severe regional pain syndrome when she was only eight years old. As a consequence of the condition, she has been in progressively excruciating discomfort ever since.
She subjected herself to more than a hundred different treatments, but the only thing that turned her luck around was when she raised $35,000 to pay for spinal cord stimulation surgery.
The procedure in August saw a pacemaker-like battery pack – connected to electrodes in the spine – implanted beneath the skin in the 22-year-old’s waist. Now, all that is required of her is to push a button on a remote control, which will cause signals and electrical pulses to be sent to her brain in order to suppress pain sensations.
Ruby’s life has been fundamentally altered as a consequence of the findings.
She said: “At the age of 22, I was unable to hang out with my pals or even see them, moreover, i had to quit my employment, which has put a significant strain on my life.
I’m a whole new lady now! Because to the kindness of a lot of people, my level of discomfort has decreased by around 80 percent, and I’ve been able to resume practicing yoga and working on getting my degree in economics.
“It has been an amazing experience. It has made it possible for me to start walking again, which is the most important thing for me, and it has also made it possible for me to sit up for hours.”
She now attributes the decrease in her discomfort as well as the rise in her independence to the operation as well as the wonderful benefactors.