Paradise residents rally for woman suffering rare pain disorder

By Chris Lewis/September 16, 2021

People in the Town of Paradise have swarmed in to help one of their own.

About a year ago, Carly Hayse began experiencing harsh headaches and pain in the right side of her face. After going through several different forms of medication both over the counter and prescribed to her, Hayse found little success in solving her problems.

Eventually, it got to the point where she found herself unable to work most days due to the pain. This, according to her sister Robin, went on for months and even included a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

After several trips to different specialists, Hayse’s problem was pinpointed to trigeminal neuralgia, a pain disorder that affects the trigeminal nerve responsible for most sensations and motor skills in the face.

“Trigeminal neuralgia has been called one of the most excruciating pains known to humanity,” Robin Hayse. “Carly had to leave work because of it. She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, couldn’t function, basically. Even the wind hitting her face when she went outside would be excruciating for her.”

After several visits with a specialist, 28-year-old Carly saw little to no progress in overcoming the condition. Brain surgery, according to Robin, was a last resort.

“But, it had to be done,” Robin said.

In August, Carly went in for surgery. Although it went well, Robin said, there were complications that resulted in Carly being paralyzed on her left side and unable to speak. This was later attributed to a stroke.

“What turned out to be a six to eight week recovery has turned into possible months of therapy along with healing,” Robin said.

She described her sister as one of the kindest and most compassionate people she knows, and wants to help as best she can with the expenses associated with so much surgery and treatment.

So, Robin turned to the fundraising website Gofundme and set up a page detailing the trials her family have gone through. In just over a week, the fundraiser managed to raise over $3,100, far exceeding Robin’s expectations.

She attributes the success of the Gofundme page to her sister’s personality; Carly is known to be the type to help whenever she can, so Robin was pleased to see the people of Paradise return that kindness, and even surprised by just how much they contributed.

Robin said her sister has begun to show improvements since the initial surgery. The hope is soon Carly will begin rehabilitation.

“It’s amazing to see how many people reach out and just all the kind things they have to say. It’s been rough, but this fundraiser has been a really positive experience for us,” Robin said.