Help Sydney Stabilize Her Neck and Save Her Future

Sydney has spent the last seven years quietly fighting through chronic pain, neurological symptoms, and a neck injury that most doctors dismissed. 

In 2018, she fractured her C1 vertebra while serving her community in law enforcement. Despite healing from the fracture, her symptoms never fully resolved. In 2024, she was assaulted on duty—an impact that reactivated and worsened the instability in her upper cervical spine.

Only recently did specialized imaging confirm what Sydney has felt all along: her C1–C2 ligaments are failing, causing a dangerous 29.4° of instability—nearly three times what’s considered normal. This instability is allowing her brain to sag downward (a condition called cerebellar tonsillar ectopia), compressing vital nerves near the brainstem and contributing to her debilitating symptoms: debilitating pressure headaches, nerve pain, choking while sleeping, heart palpitations, light sensitivity, and fatigue. 

After exhausting every conservative treatment, Sydney has been recommended for a groundbreaking regenerative procedure called PICL (Percutaneous Implantation of Cervical Ligaments), available only at the Centeno-Schultz Clinic in Colorado. This non-surgical procedure uses her own bone marrow stem cells to strengthen and stabilize the failing ligaments in her neck—offering hope of restoring function, reducing pain, and preventing further neurological decline. 

Sydney has been advised that a spinal fusion could stabilize her neck, but it would come at a steep cost—permanently limiting her mobility and likely ending her career in law enforcement. As someone who thrives on movement, service, and purpose, losing that freedom would be devastating. She’s fighting for an alternative that allows her to heal without sacrificing the life she’s worked so hard to build.

But this procedure isn’t covered by insurance. Between the cost of the procedure, travel, lodging, and time off work, Sydney is facing an estimated $18,000+ out-of-pocket.

Sydney has dedicated her career to protecting others. She’s asking now—humbly—for help protecting her future. With this treatment, she may be able to stay active in her career, continue her passion for photography, and live a life free of daily physical suffering.

Every donation, share, and word of encouragement makes a difference. Thank you for supporting Sydney as she fights to heal…not just for herself, but for the life she’s still determined to live.