Tony and Shena need help
Donation protected
We (Tony and Shena) became friends ten years ago, volunteering for the local food bank on Gabriola Island, BC, working together and quietly giving a helping hand whenever we saw the need. We've always come from an altruistic place; being there for others because it's who we are. We live to this day by these simple words: do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
We've always worked for a living, Tony as a logger and tree topper, Shena as an intuitive counsellor and artist. Our needs have always been simple: recycling, reusing, repurposing and happy with very little.
In April 2014 Tony was diagnosed with diabetes. While under control through medication and a whole food plant based diet, he suffers from neuropathy in his legs, and his health has been steadily deteriorating. Doctors are at a loss and he requires now intensive testing and alternative health care to get to the bottom of what is going on.
In July 2014 Shena was diagnosed with colon cancer, for which she was operated on and is still on the road to recovery, in spite of a long term diagnosis of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.
In July 2015 Tony was assaulted when going to the defence of a woman in Nanaimo. His cheek was broken in 6 places and required a 3 hour operation. His knee and back were also injured, and he is not able to return to work for a year. The pain from his injuries is relentless.
Shena is now facing a 6 hour surgery to remove a mass from her lung, which is being considered as cancerous, and looking at a 6-8 month recovery time.
We have always been self-employed and after the last 18 months of debilitating health issues all the money has been used up. We need money and/or assistance as soon as possible on an ongoing basis for the following:
FOOD: Organic, whole food is our first line of defence against cancer and diabetes. It remains our priority.
MEDICAL EXPENSES: Tony needs to be properly diagnosed and supported in restoring his health through naturopathic medicine (on the advice of his medical doctor.) Shena needs vitamins and supplements.
VEHICLE: Our beloved 1986 Toyota van has seen us though thick and thin! But it is now breaking down constantly. Plastic covers the broken back window. This rust bucket, drafty, cold mode of transportation is no longer viable or safe. With long distance off island trips for medical treatments, fear of being stranded by the side of the road in bad weather is a reality. Our commitment to not wasting and using something till the very end has been fulfilled...
ACCOMMODATION: Tony lives without electicity and running water in a small, older trailer with an addition and woodstove. This was a lifestyle choice before he got sick. It is now a health hazard. Shena lives in a tiny cabin which is extortionate to heat. We need a place where we can be safe, warm, and together, as we are each other's best caregivers through and through. We need help to move as our present state of health prohibits this.
It would mean more than you can ever imagine to support us in getting healthy, back on track so we can both keep doing what we do best. All we have ever wanted, and done, long before we met, and since we have been together, is to be there for others and do what we can to be the change we want to see in this world.
The words Thank You are simply not enough. But we do, so very much.
While I am still able to I am selling my art through my etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/SoulSpeakStudio
Even sharing and promoting this is a huge help! Thank you.
Photo taken December 2013
We've always worked for a living, Tony as a logger and tree topper, Shena as an intuitive counsellor and artist. Our needs have always been simple: recycling, reusing, repurposing and happy with very little.
In April 2014 Tony was diagnosed with diabetes. While under control through medication and a whole food plant based diet, he suffers from neuropathy in his legs, and his health has been steadily deteriorating. Doctors are at a loss and he requires now intensive testing and alternative health care to get to the bottom of what is going on.
In July 2014 Shena was diagnosed with colon cancer, for which she was operated on and is still on the road to recovery, in spite of a long term diagnosis of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.
In July 2015 Tony was assaulted when going to the defence of a woman in Nanaimo. His cheek was broken in 6 places and required a 3 hour operation. His knee and back were also injured, and he is not able to return to work for a year. The pain from his injuries is relentless.
Shena is now facing a 6 hour surgery to remove a mass from her lung, which is being considered as cancerous, and looking at a 6-8 month recovery time.
We have always been self-employed and after the last 18 months of debilitating health issues all the money has been used up. We need money and/or assistance as soon as possible on an ongoing basis for the following:
FOOD: Organic, whole food is our first line of defence against cancer and diabetes. It remains our priority.
MEDICAL EXPENSES: Tony needs to be properly diagnosed and supported in restoring his health through naturopathic medicine (on the advice of his medical doctor.) Shena needs vitamins and supplements.
VEHICLE: Our beloved 1986 Toyota van has seen us though thick and thin! But it is now breaking down constantly. Plastic covers the broken back window. This rust bucket, drafty, cold mode of transportation is no longer viable or safe. With long distance off island trips for medical treatments, fear of being stranded by the side of the road in bad weather is a reality. Our commitment to not wasting and using something till the very end has been fulfilled...
ACCOMMODATION: Tony lives without electicity and running water in a small, older trailer with an addition and woodstove. This was a lifestyle choice before he got sick. It is now a health hazard. Shena lives in a tiny cabin which is extortionate to heat. We need a place where we can be safe, warm, and together, as we are each other's best caregivers through and through. We need help to move as our present state of health prohibits this.
It would mean more than you can ever imagine to support us in getting healthy, back on track so we can both keep doing what we do best. All we have ever wanted, and done, long before we met, and since we have been together, is to be there for others and do what we can to be the change we want to see in this world.
The words Thank You are simply not enough. But we do, so very much.
While I am still able to I am selling my art through my etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/SoulSpeakStudio
Even sharing and promoting this is a huge help! Thank you.
Photo taken December 2013
Organizer
Shena Meadowcroft
Organizer
Gabriola, BC
