Picture this:

You've been feeling awful most of the day as your body works to fight off a sinus infection. At 10:15pm, you drag yourself out of bed and begin walking towards the restroom. Out of the blue, an electric shock feeling hits you directly by your heart. You fall back onto your bed as your whole body rigors and the left side of your body goes numb. Next thing you know, it is 6:30am and your alarm is going off informing you it is time to start getting ready for work. As you get ready, you notice this burning, numbing, pins and needles sensation in your chest and left arm. You feel dizzy and nauseated. You take yourself to the emergency room. You are immediately taken back and admitted to the cardiac wing... "Did I have a stroke?" After a day filled with test after test after test, the doctors tell you nothing is wrong with you and they are sending you home. What?!? How can that be? I still having this excruciating pain my chest and left arm, what do you mean there is nothing wrong?

Over the next two years, you visit 22, yes, you read that right, TWENTY TWO, doctors ranging from neurologists, surgeons, cardiologists, pain management, physical therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, they have a specialty, you saw them. Still you are told, we cannot find anything wrong with you.

Then one day, a doctors says:

 "I think you might have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)".  

You rejoice!! FINALLY a diagnosis, I can start down the road to recovery.

Then you learn, there is no cure.

This is just a piece of my personal journey.

This is why I have joined this virtual race. RSDSA is an organization focused on finding ways to not only educate the world about this devastating and disabling disease, but research to hopefully find a cure.

Thank you for reading my story, and I encourage you to open your wallet and donate. CRPS does not discriminate. Lets work towards finding a cure, so CRPS Warriors can say "I used to have CRPS."