Dear Friends,

My name is Anja Hammer from Trondheim Meditation & Yoga in Norway. I am fundraising for our dear friend Jane Potapenko from Sakhalin Island.

Jane needs reconstructive surgery after having her knees destroyed during failed surgeries. She had knee surgeries performed in 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020 and the two last surgeries, unfortunately, have made her condition almost unbearable. She has been on crutches for roughly seven years and in a wheelchair for the previous two years. 

The complications from the failed surgeries have nearly cost her her life, as she has had to deal with severe infections. We are trying to raise funds to get both of her knees corrected once and for all. This surgery will give her her independence and life back. Please donate what you can, and please share! Every donation counts.

Different ways to contribute to Jane:

1) Support her campaign here on Spleis. https://www.spleis.no/project/232836/

2) Support our fundraiser on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/donate/1027403747956979/ (English)

3) By VIPPS: Send any amount to #10101. Write "Jane" in the message text.

4) International payments: IBAN: NO3692302941523 SWIFT/BIC: KBNONO22. Recipient: "Meditasjon & Yoga Norge", Erling Skakkes gate 3, 7013 Trondheim. Please label the payment “Jane”

5) Norwegian bank account:  9230 29 41523 (Preferred form of payment because then we do not have a fee on the transactions). Recipient: "Meditasjon & Yoga Norge", Erling Skakkes gate 3, 7013 Trondheim. Please label the payment “Jane”

6) If you were inspired by the video and Jane's story, please share it in your networks. Here is the link again: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyDi2jTgP5U. We would greatly appreciate it if you could show her that there is hope for her.

Jane tells her own story below:

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Hello, my name is Jane Potapenko,

I am 42 years old, a singer and English teacher. I have been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for 20 years and teaching rehabilitation techniques for a decade.

In February of 2016, I suffered a catastrophic, life-altering event. During an extended yoga class, I felt intense pain and a significant weakness inside both of my knees. Shortly after that, I lost the ability to bend them properly.

Then over five years (from 2016 until 2020), I underwent:

• Seven surgeries on the right hip and knee.
• Now my right knee is injured, and left with frontal, back, and lateral instability! The MR images speak for themselves.
• I have lost my job and working ability completely.

The current state of my knees:

Right knee: It does not bend correctly after incorrect operations on the ligaments. The lower leg moves back and forth horizontally and rotates freely relative to the thigh bone.

Left knee: I can't put much weight on my left knee. It hurts wildly inside when I put weight on the foot. There is terrible friction inside, crunching, clicking, and crackling noises accompanied by pain, so I have constant pain in the left knee.

The above is an MRI image of my right knee, showing damages done to my knee after the operation. A doctor will clearly understand the situation, I think.

A complete knee MRI video from June 2022 is here https://youtu.be/NzBCL4Gl0A0.

At this stage, the doctors realize they cannot repair my knees' ligaments and menisci as they have no donor materials. Therefore, they offered to remove parts of my knee bones and set endoprosthesis on both knees. (They have warned me that they expect infections after this operation)

However, after seven long and painful years with failed surgeries, I naturally have little faith in the public health system. I have decided to take the initiative to rescue my knees via operations at the Sarang Plus Hospital in Seoul, South Korea. (They know how to do it and are ready to help me with this). I have already been in contact with the hospital and found the doctor who can do the operation for me.

And that is Professor Kook Hee Kyun, the Chief Physician at Sarang Plus Hospital. 

He is a graduate of Yonsei Medical University. He underwent an internship in artificial robotic joints in Germany at the BGU hospital. He also took training in America (at the New Brunswick Hospital) and in Australia (at the Perthes Hospital) for micro-cutting an artificial joint.

He is an adviser to the national sports team of Korea.

• Membership in professional organizations:
• Member of the Society of Orthopedics of Korea
• International member of the Society of Orthopedics of America

Member of the International Society of Artificial Structures, Arthroscopy, Sports.

Specializations: arthroplasty of joints, endoscopy of joints, sports injuries and cartilage regeneration.

(Read more about senior doctor Kook Hee Kyun and the Sarang Plus hospital here: https://medicglobus.com/clinic/sarang-plus-hospital/)

The cost for these operations is estimated to be USD 85000, and I hope to do them as soon as possible. So far, I have collected USD 6000 from my friends and family.

This price is for: Diagnostics, Double ACL surgery + PCL surgery, and rehabilitation and training for 6 months. Since this is double knee surgery, I will have no good leg to stand on. Therefore, I will need extra assistance during rehabilitation, hence the high costs.

Please, if you can, donate and help me save my knees. This campaign is a call for urgent help. I need to fix this now because my condition is deteriorating day by day, and soon it will be too late.

I understand if you cannot give, but please consider sharing my story with your friends, thanks! :-). (Encouraging words of support are also much appreciated)

With gratitude and love,

Jane Potapenko.

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Trondheim Meditation & Yoga is a non-profit organization that provides information, education, and support to help citizens cope and thrive. Trondheim Meditation & Yoga assists Jane, and all donations will go directly to her.

Please help let Jane know that she has fellow human beings that will support her in this challenging situation.

We will update her fundraising page as often as possible, and thank you again for all the support.

The funds will help her with her surgeries and additional medical expenses (physiotherapy, medications, etc., not covered under health care laws). It will give her peace of mind in ensuring all her payments can be cared for properly. Finally, this will allow her to take as much time as necessary to recover fully before returning to everyday life.

With your help, she will be back as Jane 2.0!

Many thanks and kind regards,

Trondheim Meditation & Yoga,

Anna Hammer  

(I can be contacted on +47 40 22 32 01 if you have any questions regarding Jane or the campaign.)