- Kellie Crameri has opened up about the toll of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
- The horse owner said she felt like ‘a prisoner in her own body’
- The disease is known as one of the most painful in the world
Horse owner Kellie Crameri opens up about the gruelling battle with her health that leaves her feeling like ‘a prisoner of her own body’.
Crameri, co-owner of star player Fully Lit, has been battling Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a rare and painful neurological condition, for four years.
Australian doctors told her that nothing could be done to relieve the severe pain, which she compared to being ‘tortured non-stop’.
However, after she ended up in a clinic in Arkansas, United States, she shared the wonderful news that she is now pain free and has gone into remission.
Crameri said Fully Lit’s win in the $2 million Inglis Millennium earlier this year helped pay for her treatment, and she thanked legendary horse trainer Gai Waterhouse for “helping save my life” as a result of the horse’s win.
“Thank you Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, and RedFox Racing for helping to save my life with Fully Lit’s victory in the Inglis Millennium,” Crameri posted online.
‘Today (Friday) in Arkansas, USA, I rang the remission bell for my rare neurological condition, for which his victory has paid off some of the costs.
‘They say horse racing can be life changing, but for me it was life saving,’
Kellie Crameri has spoken out about the devastating toll of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Horse owner has been battling ‘world’s most painful disease’ for four years
In an emotional statement, Crameri revealed the enormous impact CRPS has on people with the disease.
“CRPS is the most painful disease, accident or injury that can happen to a person, according to the McGill Pain Index,” she said.
‘No other pain a human can experience compares to the intensity and cruelty that CRPS inflicts on a person.
‘Not only is the pain unbearable, but it also robs you of your body, mind and relationships.
‘I’ve had thirteen different surgeries and injected and swallowed every pharmaceutical product that was supposed to give us hope. Nothing held up or worked.
‘I withdrew into myself. I couldn’t think straight. I struggled tremendously with my work and personal life, because I was no longer the person I once was and I knew I couldn’t last long with the person I had become: someone in unimaginable pain who had lost all hope.
‘Every doctor I saw in Australia said to me, ‘I can’t help you,’ and left me in a desperate mess.
‘Trying to navigate the Australian healthcare system became a thankless full-time job.
‘I had lost all hope. My days were filled with screaming out loud in pain with an endless stream of tears.
‘I had become a prisoner of my own body and was constantly tortured.’
Australian doctors told her nothing could be done to ease the pain, but she has since recovered in a clinic in the United States.
She added that CRPS is commonly known as “the suicide disease” and that she has attempted suicide “on three separate occasions.”
The disease affected the dominant side of Crameri’s body, making everyday tasks extremely painful.
She has been pain-free for two weeks and the Spero Clinic claims to be the “only clinic in the world” offering the treatment that helped Crameri recover.
“By relaxing and rehabilitating the nervous system and correcting other imbalances in your brain and body, we hope to reset and restore proper functionality to your body’s systems,” the clinic said.