Help Mia with her PAH Battle
Donation protected
Mia Berdan, the daughter of Mike and Chris Berdan, granddaughter of Stephanie and Scott Prud'homme and George Berdan and Thea (Jensen) Berdan, great-granddaughter of Beryl Jeffs, has been diagnosed with PAH (Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension).
We're creating this fundraiser because you are our friends and family. We know you love us and are concerned about Mia. We know you want to help.
Many of you know by now that Mia has been having breathing problems. In May, Mia's parents, Mike and Chris, were told it was asthma. In spite of inhalers for treatment, Mia's "asthma" continued to get worse! She can no longer climb stairs or walk for any amount of time without stopping to catch her breath. She wakes up multiple times in the middle of the night, heart pounding, gasping for air and chest pain! It was only after her feisty parents would not take "asthma" as the diagnosis that an Urgent Care doctor at South Lake took a closer look and ruled that it was definitely NOT Asthma!
After a multitude of tests Mia got an urgent referral to see a cardiologist and after an ECG and an echocardiogram the cardiologist diagnosed our Mia with Idiopathic Pulmonary Hypertension (PAH).
Mike and Chris were told that in the '90s this would have been a death sentence. But luckily for us, the medical world has made great advances in this area in the last 20 years. Now, in 2016, with medication and careful monitoring, Mia can have a better quality of life and be able to live longer. However, unfortunately she has the worst type of Pulmonary Hypertension, called Idiopathic - which essentially means that they CANNOT fix it!
Needless to say, the Berdan family are going to be spending a lot of time at The Hospital for Sick Children with the Pulmonary Hypertension team of doctors while poor Mia is put through the wringer being poked and prodded with test after test.
When Mia's diagnosis was first posted by Chris and Mike, people suggested a fund raising page. As we write this, Chris' and Mike's incomes have been impacted, both of them being self-employed and both unable to book business during this time of overseeing Mia's declining health 24/7.
Commencing August 8th, Chris, Mike and Mia will have many days, months, and years of being under Sick Kids' care. Mia will likely have long hospital stays in Sick Kids as they navigate her to optimal health.
Illness is stressful, physically and emotionally taxing, and finances are the last thing Chris and Mike should have to worry about. But unfortunately, medical care, cafeterias, parking, gas, hotels and some medications are not free.
It can be hard for friends and family to know how to show their support for a loved one when they or their child is sick. They may not know how to help, or even if they can. I never thought in my lifetime that I would be asking for money for a family member, but here I am doing just that. If you can support them financially in any way and help cover even a small portion of their overall expenses by participating in an online donation that would be a wonderfully precious help.
If you are unable to donate at this time, we understand, but please join us in prayer.
Love, Mia's family.
We're creating this fundraiser because you are our friends and family. We know you love us and are concerned about Mia. We know you want to help.
Many of you know by now that Mia has been having breathing problems. In May, Mia's parents, Mike and Chris, were told it was asthma. In spite of inhalers for treatment, Mia's "asthma" continued to get worse! She can no longer climb stairs or walk for any amount of time without stopping to catch her breath. She wakes up multiple times in the middle of the night, heart pounding, gasping for air and chest pain! It was only after her feisty parents would not take "asthma" as the diagnosis that an Urgent Care doctor at South Lake took a closer look and ruled that it was definitely NOT Asthma!
After a multitude of tests Mia got an urgent referral to see a cardiologist and after an ECG and an echocardiogram the cardiologist diagnosed our Mia with Idiopathic Pulmonary Hypertension (PAH).
Mike and Chris were told that in the '90s this would have been a death sentence. But luckily for us, the medical world has made great advances in this area in the last 20 years. Now, in 2016, with medication and careful monitoring, Mia can have a better quality of life and be able to live longer. However, unfortunately she has the worst type of Pulmonary Hypertension, called Idiopathic - which essentially means that they CANNOT fix it!
Needless to say, the Berdan family are going to be spending a lot of time at The Hospital for Sick Children with the Pulmonary Hypertension team of doctors while poor Mia is put through the wringer being poked and prodded with test after test.
When Mia's diagnosis was first posted by Chris and Mike, people suggested a fund raising page. As we write this, Chris' and Mike's incomes have been impacted, both of them being self-employed and both unable to book business during this time of overseeing Mia's declining health 24/7.
Commencing August 8th, Chris, Mike and Mia will have many days, months, and years of being under Sick Kids' care. Mia will likely have long hospital stays in Sick Kids as they navigate her to optimal health.
Illness is stressful, physically and emotionally taxing, and finances are the last thing Chris and Mike should have to worry about. But unfortunately, medical care, cafeterias, parking, gas, hotels and some medications are not free.
It can be hard for friends and family to know how to show their support for a loved one when they or their child is sick. They may not know how to help, or even if they can. I never thought in my lifetime that I would be asking for money for a family member, but here I am doing just that. If you can support them financially in any way and help cover even a small portion of their overall expenses by participating in an online donation that would be a wonderfully precious help.
If you are unable to donate at this time, we understand, but please join us in prayer.
Love, Mia's family.
Organizer
Stephanie-Scott Jeffs-Prud'homme
Organizer
Newmarket, ON
