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My sister Erica, who has special needs and lives in a group home, was taken by ambulance to the hospital just after Christmas 2018. She had come down with flu like symptoms and was in respiratory distress.
As my mom, sister (Becky) and I arrived at the hospital, Erica was being admitted to the Emergency Resuscitation Unit. Erica had a dangerously high fever, was having extreme difficulty breathing and was virtually unresponsive. She was hooked up to oxygen, IV and many other machines. While in the ERU, doctors performed several tests to try and determine what was wrong. Finally they diagnosed Erica with Influenza A. She was admitted to hospital and while fighting Influenza she battled 2 bouts of pneumonia. Erica slept much of the time and when she was awake she was screaming in pain. As days and weeks went by we noticed that her ability to speak and move were almost non existent. A feeding tube had to be inserted in to her stomach because she could no longer eat on her own. As we watched on, Erica had gone from a chatty, happy, silly and very active girl (who loved to swim, shop, cook, help in the house and just being out and about) to a shell of her former self, unable to move or speak.
The doctors continued testing, MRI's, more spinal taps, Cat-Scans and a whole host of neurological testing with no concrete answer as to why this had happened, no prognosis and no treatment. My mother and sister Becky were by her side day in and day out in the hospital, doing exercises with her, trying to get her to move, to speak, to laugh...waiting, watching closely for any sign of progress. We try to explain to Erica what has happened and that she is unable to move and speak like she used to however, developmentally Erica is a 3 year old and this is all very confusing, frustrating, painful and angering for her. She doesn't understand why one day she was able to speak and move and now she isn't.
As the months went on, the doctors at the hospital had deemed Erica medically "stable" and wanted to discharge her. How, we pleaded, are we able to take care of her when she cannot even sit up in bed?! We would need all of the equipment that they had at the hospital in order for Erica to safely live at her group home. The equipment, which includes an automatic/adjustable hospital bed, air mattress, wheelchair and Hoyer lift (this machines transfers Erica from her bed to the wheelchair and vice versa) were provided for Erica at her group home from LHIN (formerly CCAC, who provide health care services to the public). However, all of this equipment is only "on loan" to the individual for 28 days, after which it needs to be rented or purchased otherwise it will be taken away.
Besides the equipment that was stated above, we are also in need of two ramps to be built on the front and back of the group home entrances. This is another issue that plagues us because if there is an emergency situation, the staff have no safe way to get Erica out of the house due to the fact that there are no ramps.
This is where we need your help and support. This equipment will be removed from the home unless we can come up with a way to pay for it. Although we never thought that we would ever need to ask for "donations", here we are. We are reaching out for your help to cover the cost of the equipment that Erica needs. Any amount would be much appreciated and no donation is too small. The funds that we raise will go directly and solely to the cost of the equipment, ramps and physiotherapy that Erica so desperately needs. It is only with your help and generosity that we will be able to keep these pieces of equipment which will help Erica in whatever recovery is possible as well as a way to help keep her mobile and add to her quality of life.
My mother, sister and I are devastated and still in disbelief about what has transpired these past several months. We are absolutely heartbroken to see Erica in this state...words cannot describe it. Having to watch our sister/daughter suffer and lose the person she once was is agonizing enough and now being told that we will lose the equipment she so desperately needs is just unimaginable.
Please keep our family and Erica in your prayers.
On behalf of my mother and sister Becky we thank you for your love and support through this difficult time.
With much thanks.
**Aside from any monetary donations, if anybody is a registered physiotherapist who is willing and able to donate their time to Erica for physiotherapy sessions, would be greatly appreciated!!
As my mom, sister (Becky) and I arrived at the hospital, Erica was being admitted to the Emergency Resuscitation Unit. Erica had a dangerously high fever, was having extreme difficulty breathing and was virtually unresponsive. She was hooked up to oxygen, IV and many other machines. While in the ERU, doctors performed several tests to try and determine what was wrong. Finally they diagnosed Erica with Influenza A. She was admitted to hospital and while fighting Influenza she battled 2 bouts of pneumonia. Erica slept much of the time and when she was awake she was screaming in pain. As days and weeks went by we noticed that her ability to speak and move were almost non existent. A feeding tube had to be inserted in to her stomach because she could no longer eat on her own. As we watched on, Erica had gone from a chatty, happy, silly and very active girl (who loved to swim, shop, cook, help in the house and just being out and about) to a shell of her former self, unable to move or speak.
The doctors continued testing, MRI's, more spinal taps, Cat-Scans and a whole host of neurological testing with no concrete answer as to why this had happened, no prognosis and no treatment. My mother and sister Becky were by her side day in and day out in the hospital, doing exercises with her, trying to get her to move, to speak, to laugh...waiting, watching closely for any sign of progress. We try to explain to Erica what has happened and that she is unable to move and speak like she used to however, developmentally Erica is a 3 year old and this is all very confusing, frustrating, painful and angering for her. She doesn't understand why one day she was able to speak and move and now she isn't.
As the months went on, the doctors at the hospital had deemed Erica medically "stable" and wanted to discharge her. How, we pleaded, are we able to take care of her when she cannot even sit up in bed?! We would need all of the equipment that they had at the hospital in order for Erica to safely live at her group home. The equipment, which includes an automatic/adjustable hospital bed, air mattress, wheelchair and Hoyer lift (this machines transfers Erica from her bed to the wheelchair and vice versa) were provided for Erica at her group home from LHIN (formerly CCAC, who provide health care services to the public). However, all of this equipment is only "on loan" to the individual for 28 days, after which it needs to be rented or purchased otherwise it will be taken away.
Besides the equipment that was stated above, we are also in need of two ramps to be built on the front and back of the group home entrances. This is another issue that plagues us because if there is an emergency situation, the staff have no safe way to get Erica out of the house due to the fact that there are no ramps.
This is where we need your help and support. This equipment will be removed from the home unless we can come up with a way to pay for it. Although we never thought that we would ever need to ask for "donations", here we are. We are reaching out for your help to cover the cost of the equipment that Erica needs. Any amount would be much appreciated and no donation is too small. The funds that we raise will go directly and solely to the cost of the equipment, ramps and physiotherapy that Erica so desperately needs. It is only with your help and generosity that we will be able to keep these pieces of equipment which will help Erica in whatever recovery is possible as well as a way to help keep her mobile and add to her quality of life.
My mother, sister and I are devastated and still in disbelief about what has transpired these past several months. We are absolutely heartbroken to see Erica in this state...words cannot describe it. Having to watch our sister/daughter suffer and lose the person she once was is agonizing enough and now being told that we will lose the equipment she so desperately needs is just unimaginable.
Please keep our family and Erica in your prayers.
On behalf of my mother and sister Becky we thank you for your love and support through this difficult time.
With much thanks.
**Aside from any monetary donations, if anybody is a registered physiotherapist who is willing and able to donate their time to Erica for physiotherapy sessions, would be greatly appreciated!!