Bring Gabi Home

To our lovely family, friends and kind supporters,

For those who don’t know her, this is Gabi and she was born with a form of dwarfism known as achondroplasia.

In late August 2024, she began experiencing pain in her lower back. In September, the pain grew more severe, so she visited various clinics and hospitals where doctors insisted she was experiencing sciatic nerve pain. The pain turned into numbness and she lost all sensation and use of her legs by September 7th.

Gabi was taken to the hospital where she was told she had a fracture in her L1 vertebrae along with a large spinal hernia. It had compressed the nerves in her spine, cutting off her ability to use her legs. Spinal compression issues, she found out, are unfortunately common for people with dwarfism. Gabi was rushed into emergency surgery at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto on September 10th as the doctors felt that there was a high potential for permanent loss of limb usage.

Since then, Gabi has been on a journey to regain her ability to walk. She has been in a rehab centre in Toronto for the last few months, recovering slowly. Although she is making progress, she is still wheelchair-bound.

In early December, Gabi is scheduled to be discharged from the rehab centre, but in order for her to be able to return home, a lot needs to be done. She will require an electric wheelchair of her own because, as a person with achondroplasia, her arms are not long enough to maneuver a manual wheelchair. Our house will also require modifications so that she can enter and have access to it in her chair.

Our current two-story home is not conducive to handicap living, and the goal is to make several modifications so that it can be accessible to Gabi in her wheelchair. This will require the purchase of a chairlift, the possible creation of a new entry way, widening of doors, bathroom enlargement, and a means to access the 2nd floor. We will also need to purchase other tools and equipment to help her with personal hygiene, mobility and independence. There is considerable cost associated with all of this.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where the task you face is so daunting and you already know that the requirements to solve it out strips your available resources? This is where we find ourselves. The need, time and resources do not line up.

We are reaching out and asking for your help so we can achieve our goal to bring our vivacious daughter home. We are so appreciative of any and all support.

In Her own words ....