Wigwam Blog Post: Inspirational Alli Morgan - Upcoming Project Athena Recipient

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September 15, 2010

Posted by: Natalie Stangl

Category: Wigwam News, Wigwam Partners

Inspirational Alli Morgan - Upcoming Project Athena Recipient

During her sophomore field hockey season, Alli Morgan ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament of her right knee. For a few months after her initial reconstructive surgery she was progressing toward recovery, until she faced intense pain and couldn't advance any further in therapy. Months went by without an answer and then a new doctor took an x-ray and discovered that a screw was lodged in the joint and the replaced ACL was too long.

A few weeks after her second surgery, a staph infection set in and her surgical wound refused to close. Over the next few months, several infections set in, the ligaments and hardware in her knee became septic and were removed and the wound grew larger. Several more surgeries were performed to remove unhealthy tissue and close the wound but to no avail. After seven surgeries to debride the wound, it now extended from her thigh to the middle of her right calf and was down to the bone.

Alli developed serious MRSA and VRE infections that often times traveled to her blood, and though several skin grafts were done, they all refused to take. Alli finished her senior year of high school in the hospital. Finally, the infection was controlled by IV antibiotics that she could receive at home, so she made the decision to go away to college as she had always planned - Alli wasn't ready to let her health impinge on another area of her life. Within a month of starting her classes at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in August of 2008, she was forced to come home on a medical leave of absence.

The wound began to get worse and the infections were uncontrollable. A hematologist then diagnosed Alli with a rare connective tissue disorder. The non-healing wound, excessive bleeding, and susceptibility to infection were all explained by the genetic condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

There is no cure, and Alli will have to undergo several more surgeries. She will continue IV medications and blood transfusions for some time, but her physicians are optimistic about her future. It has been a journey of four and a half years, 38 surgeries, a 61 square inch wound, and a cumulative 15 months in the hospital.

Alli's dream is to ride in the Livestrong Challenge bike race in Texas. In June 2010, Alli recieved a "cross bike" from the Project Athena Foundation...the first step in living that dream.

"Every aspect of my life revolves around my health. I am either getting transfusions or in a doctors office for several hours every day. It has taken away some of the most formative years of my life but has also given me so much in return. I know that without this experience I would not be the person I am today. The physical pain I have experienced has brought out perserverance and fortitude I never knew I had, and it is what other people often acknowledge. But what I have truly gained from the past four and a half years, a deeper understanding of both myself and life in general, has stemmed from the mental and emotional pain. This experience has instilled in me the idea that some things are just out of my control".

As a sponsor of the Project Athena Foundation, Wigwam is honored to say that we can support such courageous individuals like Alli. We will be cheering for Alli when she is ready to fulfill her dream of riding in the Livestrong Challenge bike race.

For more information on Project Athena, visit www.projectathena.org

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