Be Sophie’s Hope
Donation protected
Sophie’s Hope
At 18 years of age Sophie is an intelligent, sensitive young woman in the grips of the relentless mental illness, anorexia nervosa, and brutal, life-limiting anxiety. Her life has been robbed from her for over 2 ½ years.Remarkably she has managed, with determination and great fortitude, to keep pace with her peers academically while being hospitalized over one hundred miles from her home in rural Ontario.
She recently turned 18 and is caught in a serious ‘gap of care’ having aged out of the children’s hospital’s mandate. The adult world of mental healthcare presents well-documented barriers – greater demand, less funding, and even longer waitlists for the extremely limited programs equipped to address the complexities of her dual diagnosis.
Ontario’s Dr. Anita Federici wrote, on July 20th, about a patient of hers, whose situation is frighteningly similar to Sophie’s...
“There is treatment that would save her life but we can’t access it and while she sits on several waiting lists, I’m afraid she will die waiting. If this was cancer, I don’t believe we would be in this position.
My patient has anorexia nervosa, a brain-based disease with the highest mortality rate (next to the opioid crisis) of any other psychiatric illness.
I could get her to the USA tomorrow where she would be treated but the costs are incredibly high. OHIP won’t cover it. The insurance company won’t cover it.
While my patient’s story is not unique (there are thousands like her, dying, families helpless) I cannot be silent. I refuse to be silent.”
https://www.facebook.com/DrAnitaFederici/
https://www.anitafedericiphd.com/
Goal for Sophie
To raise $335,000 Canadian (US $255,000.00) to access immediate residential treatment ($42,500.00/month USD for 6 months)
A Parent’s Perspective
I have stood by my daughter’s side throughout this painful journey. I hold on to hope - hope for treatment, hope for therapy and hope for my formidable, sweet young daughter to live a blissful life. Because a recovery is possible, I will never give up. In September of 2018, a critical incident occurred, leaving my child on life support for 2 weeks. I have stayed by her side since then, unable to work, while caring for Sophie.
As a single parent, the financial burden has been overwhelming. Treatment spaces that could help my daughter are limited and come at an estimated cost of 42,500.00 US a month in the United States. In order for the treatment to be effective, I was told to anticipate 6 months of care.
Impact
It is painful watching your child attempt to cope, feeling the sting of stigma, struggling to maintain hope, while desperately seeking to better understand anorexia nervosa and anxiety. Sophie’s mom feels helpless to do the thing she most wants to do – protect her child.
Help us access urgent treatment for this beautiful girl, a young woman with the rest of her life before her.
We deeply appreciate your support, compassion, and your hope for Sophie. Please consider sharing this with your social network. It takes a village....be a part of Sophie's. <3
At 18 years of age Sophie is an intelligent, sensitive young woman in the grips of the relentless mental illness, anorexia nervosa, and brutal, life-limiting anxiety. Her life has been robbed from her for over 2 ½ years.Remarkably she has managed, with determination and great fortitude, to keep pace with her peers academically while being hospitalized over one hundred miles from her home in rural Ontario.
She recently turned 18 and is caught in a serious ‘gap of care’ having aged out of the children’s hospital’s mandate. The adult world of mental healthcare presents well-documented barriers – greater demand, less funding, and even longer waitlists for the extremely limited programs equipped to address the complexities of her dual diagnosis.
Ontario’s Dr. Anita Federici wrote, on July 20th, about a patient of hers, whose situation is frighteningly similar to Sophie’s...
“There is treatment that would save her life but we can’t access it and while she sits on several waiting lists, I’m afraid she will die waiting. If this was cancer, I don’t believe we would be in this position.
My patient has anorexia nervosa, a brain-based disease with the highest mortality rate (next to the opioid crisis) of any other psychiatric illness.
I could get her to the USA tomorrow where she would be treated but the costs are incredibly high. OHIP won’t cover it. The insurance company won’t cover it.
While my patient’s story is not unique (there are thousands like her, dying, families helpless) I cannot be silent. I refuse to be silent.”
https://www.facebook.com/DrAnitaFederici/
https://www.anitafedericiphd.com/
Goal for Sophie
To raise $335,000 Canadian (US $255,000.00) to access immediate residential treatment ($42,500.00/month USD for 6 months)
A Parent’s Perspective
I have stood by my daughter’s side throughout this painful journey. I hold on to hope - hope for treatment, hope for therapy and hope for my formidable, sweet young daughter to live a blissful life. Because a recovery is possible, I will never give up. In September of 2018, a critical incident occurred, leaving my child on life support for 2 weeks. I have stayed by her side since then, unable to work, while caring for Sophie.
As a single parent, the financial burden has been overwhelming. Treatment spaces that could help my daughter are limited and come at an estimated cost of 42,500.00 US a month in the United States. In order for the treatment to be effective, I was told to anticipate 6 months of care.
Impact
It is painful watching your child attempt to cope, feeling the sting of stigma, struggling to maintain hope, while desperately seeking to better understand anorexia nervosa and anxiety. Sophie’s mom feels helpless to do the thing she most wants to do – protect her child.
Help us access urgent treatment for this beautiful girl, a young woman with the rest of her life before her.
We deeply appreciate your support, compassion, and your hope for Sophie. Please consider sharing this with your social network. It takes a village....be a part of Sophie's. <3
Organizer and beneficiary
Dora-Lynn Melnik
Organizer
Pembroke, ON
Lisa Hennessey
Beneficiary
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