24 yr old suffers from Osteoarthritis and needs surgery

Dear Everyone,

 My 24 year old sister, Siphokazi Bunyonyo, woke up with a swollen and a very painful ankle sometime last year 2012. The pain was so severe that she couldn't even walk without using crutches and wearing a fracture boot. At first the doctors couldn't diagnose what was wrong with her as she never sprained or broke her ankle. They performed a lot of tests to try and discover the real cause of the swelling and the pain but they couldn't find anything.

 Yesterday I took her to an orthopedic doctor who also performed his own tests and x-rays. After all the tests, he came to a conclusion and diagnosed her with Osteoarthritis. "Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the oldest and most common forms of arthritis and is a chronic condition characterized by the breakdown of the joint’s cartilage. Cartilage is the part of the joint that cushions the ends of the bones and allows easy movement of joints. The breakdown of cartilage causes the bones to rub against each other, causing stiffness, pain and loss of movement in the joint."

The doctor gave us two (2) options to treat this chronic condition which must be done almost immediately to avoid further damage to the joints and give immediate pain relief as no painkillers seems to help with the pain. The options are:

 *Is to have an ankle replacement. Ankle replacement is surgery to replace the damaged bone in the ankle joint. Artificial joint parts (prosthetics) are used to replace your own bones. 

Estimated cost +/- $15,000 & Life span = 20 years

* Is to have an ankle fusion/ arthrodesis. An ankle arthrodesis is a reconstructive surgical procedure where an injured ankle joint is converted into an immobile segment of bone. The derivation of arthrodesis is from the latin “arthron” meaning joint and the Greek “desis” meaning binding. The ankle consists of the distal tibia, talus, and fibula articulating. The motion between these bones is essentially eliminated in an ankle fusion.

Estimated Cost is +/- $6,000 & Life span = Life time

 From the two(2) options the doctor gave us, we went for option 2 because it is the cheapest one and lasts for a life time compared to option 1 which would only last her for 20 years then by the time she reaches the age of 44 years she would be required to have another surgery.

I would like you to please help us in the form of donations to raise an amount of $6,000 so that my sister can have her surgery soon. The doctor gave us a quote of R50,219.17 which is available for anyone to see on request. The quote is valid for 30 days from now. 

We would like to thank everyone in advance, your donations would really make a huge difference to us and my sister's future. Thank You very Much.