Chenoa's Dream To Walk

Chenoa’s Dream To Walk

"Chenoa's Dream To Walk" is raising funds for a specialized surgery for our seven-year-old daughter Chenoa, who has cerebral palsy. The surgery is scheduled for AUGUST 11, 2016 and will change Chenoa's life forever. The operation will alleviate some of Chenoa's pain and give her a chance to walk and gain some independence. Please help provide Chenoa with a future full of hope!

About Chenoa

Chenoa is our amazing seven-year-old daughter. When she was 18 months, the doctors confirmed she had cerebral palsy. We don't know how or why it happened. We know that cerebral palsy results from an injury to the brain and affects the muscles and a person’s ability to control them. Each case of cerebral palsy is unique to the individual due to the type and severity of the brain damage. In Chenoa’s case, it affects motor function, balance, posture, and coordination and causes spasticity (tight, stiff muscles) in the legs. The spasticity makes it difficult for Chenoa to coordinate her muscles, which continually contract, resulting in painfully stiff and rigid legs.

Our goal for Chenoa

We are raising money for Chenoa to have a life-changing surgical procedure called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR). After a lot of research and speaking with expert doctors, we concluded that SDR surgery is Chenoa’s best chance to walk and become more independent.

SDR is performed at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, by internationally renowned neurosurgeon Dr. T.S. Park. The surgery consists of locating the nerve roots in the spine that are very spastic and cutting them. It will reduce or eliminate Chenoa's spasticity permanently and give her a chance to walk independently. Dr. Park has been performing SDR for 25 years and has concluded over 3,000 surgeries with a 100% success rate. 

Your help counts! Here’s what your donations will help us achieve...

The surgery and rehabilitation we hope to provide for Chenoa are costly and not covered by our healthcare system. We, as a family, have worked very hard to provide everything we can for our daughter, but we cannot do this alone. We need your help, please!

We are hoping to raise CAN$150,000 which includes:

- $100,000 for the SDR surgery in St. Louis and related expenses

- $50,000 for the post-operation rehabilitation program.

If you need a Canadian tax receipt, please donate directly to Handi-Care Intl (HCI), a registered Canadian Charity. HCI will issue tax receipts for any donation of CAN$20.00 or more. You can donate for Chenoa with a note in the COMMENT section "FOR CHENOA'S SDR SURGERY" at

http://www.handicareintl.org/SDR/Registration.php (please make sure you are adding FOR CHENOA'S SDR SURGERY in the COMMENT section for the donation to be allocated to Chenoa)

OR at https://www.gofundme.com/Chenoa (tax receipts will not be released for donations made directly at gofundme).

This operation will give Chenoa the opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to walk and live a relatively pain-free life.

About the SDR Operation:

This Operation is performed at St Louis Children's Hospital in the USA by Dr. T.S. Park. The operation is called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR). Dr. T.S. Park is the only surgeon in the world who goes into the spine, removing a portion of one vertebra, electronically stimulating the nerves to see exactly which ones are causing the spasticity which deforms the bones as the child grows taller. He then cuts the specific nerves. This is a life-changing surgery for kids like Chenoa because this is the first time they will be pain-free and free of many future surgeries for their hips, knees, legs, and spinal scoliosis, all from the muscle tightness caused by Cerebral Palsy. For Chenoa, this will be life-changing. Your support is invaluable to us.

You can read more about SDR and Dr. T.S. Park here:

http://www.stlouischildrens.org/our-services/center-cerebral-palsy-spasticity/about-selective-dorsal-rhizotomy-sdr

Thank you! With the love and support of our family, friends and community, we hope to make our little girl's dream come true.