Shepherdstown native Mackenzie Granzow, right, performs a song with her partner of three years, Wayne Snow. Courtesy photo

SHEPHERDSTOWN — With a little help from her friends, old and new alike, Shepherdstown native Mackenzie Granzow hopes to be able to cover the cost of some surgeries that have been delayed for far too long, due to financial concerns.

Granzow lives with a number of medical disorders, including: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), Chiari malformation, tethered spinal cord syndrome and hip dysplasia. Covering the cost of treatment for these disorders has, unfortunately, proven challenging — especially since the most effective treatment for some of these disorders would involve surgery.

“She was born with each of these disorders and malformations but started to receive diagnoses for most of them when she was around 10 years old,” said her partner of three years, Wayne Snow. “Mackenzie began having surgeries when she was around 10 years old, and this has continued sporadically throughout her life.”

In recent years, she had been encouraged to get a series of surgeries done, to improve her mobility and quality of life. She saved up $20,000 last year, so that she could begin undergoing the surgeries. Yet those funds will not be able to cover the entire cost of her surgeries and recovery. Her next surgery, a periacetabular osteotomy for her hip dysplasia, has an expected recovery time of 6-12 months.

“This specific series of surgeries started in late December 2024, and the surgery in December 2025 should hopefully be the last one for her hips, assuming no revisions are necessary,” Snow said, noting all of the surgeries needed to be completed this year, before she ages out of the insurance coverage from her mother. “This surgery will impact both sides of her hips and, most of all, her dominant leg, so she will be unable to work or drive for much longer, compared to the prior surgery. Unfortunately, due to her health and dramatic changes in the production industry, she has not been able to work anywhere near the amount she did leading up to the 2024 surgery.”

He noted that she hopes to find a remote job in the near future, so that she can work while in recovery. In the meantime, the couple is planning to raise additional funds in a different way, by holding a Fantastical Fundraiser at the Timber Frame Folly on Sunday from 12-9 p.m.

“It will be a day full of live music, including nine different acts, fanciful arts and crafts, books, vendors, raffles and more. We’re aiming to bring the energy and creativity of a tiny renaissance fair to the event,” Snow said, noting renaissance fair outfits and other costumes are welcome to be worn at the event. “We hope to continue this event in future years, to provide support for the inevitable next person who might need it. I think it will be a great example of what it looks like for communities to take care of one another — this is how we can keep each other afloat during troubling times.”

He noted that attendees can plan to spend the entire afternoon and evening at the fundraiser, or can choose to come and go, if that works better for their schedules. Live music in all kinds of genres — indie dream pop, Motown, blues, folk, Americana, alternative and rock — will be playing throughout the event. Food will be available for purchase from vendors, and a potluck dinner will be held, which attendees are encouraged to bring a dish to. Those who would like to enjoy alcoholic beverages at the event may bring their own, as only nonalcoholic drinks like tea and coffee will be provided.

The Timber Frame Folly is located at 301 Big Oak Drive in Shepherdstown. The location is wheelchair accessible. Parking is limited, so those who can carpool to the event are advised to do so. For more information, email fantasticalfundraiser@gmail.com.

Those who cannot attend the fundraiser can still make a donation, at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-mackenzies-critical-hip-surgery-and-recovery?.