Donate to help Jodi through her cancer treatment

Hello,

My name is Claire, and I am fundraising for my friend, Jodi Dedels.

I met Jodi in early 2021, when I purchased one of her beautiful Weimaraner pups. Right away, Jodi and I hit it off. I was able to see that even though she is tough as nails and full of sassy humour, she is also a generous, caring, and soft person who loves her animals and her people. She is loyal and strong and has persevered through every challenge she has faced in her life. I know she will continue to do so, but Jodi needs some help with this part of her journey.

In January this year, Jodi had an accident with her horse, which resulted in a broken arm. Shortly after, there was an onset of double vision, which prevented Jodi from caring for her home and her animals. When her doctor investigated with an MRI, they discovered that Jodi has a very rare tumour at the base of her skull that has been diagnosed as a chondrosarcoma. Its growth has caused her optic nerve to stretch, resulting in her double vision. The tumour is invading her carotid artery and sixth, seventh and eighth nerve. This puts Jodi at risk of stroke as well. She will need surgery to prevent further permanent damage to her body and death.

Her brain surgery is scheduled for December 9th, 2022. Of course, many severe complications can arise from any brain surgery, but Jodi's tumour is very difficult to access. On top of post-surgery permanent hearing loss in her left ear, they will need to remove sections of her jaw, skull, and eustachian tube to access the tumour, which is very close to her carotid artery. There will be an intense and long recovery for Jodi post surgery.

The doctor has told Jodi that she will need to follow up surgery with a proton radiation treatment that is unavailable in Canada. This means Jodi will need to travel to the US to receive this therapy.

It has been almost a year, and Jodi's arm is still broken. In July, she had surgery to put in screws and a plate to aid healing. In September, there was a failure of the scale, and the bone hadn't actually been healing. She had surgery in October to repair the plate and reset her bone again. Hopefully, Jodi's arm will begin to recover, but, the doctors are unsure of what may be preventing it from healing. It could be her medication that is interfering.

Jodi lives far from her specialist and often has to travel for her medical appointments, which has been difficult for her on days when she cannot drive due to double vision or pain. She is relying on close friends for a lot of her current care and assistance, and she has not been able to be active in her community as she usually is.

Jodi has already had to rehome her beloved horse, whom she loves and misses dearly. She still has her dogs and hopes she will be able to keep them through this process, as they are her joy.

The costs of travel for medical appointments, as well as paid help to assist with her property and dogs has been a lot for Jodi. Further, Jodi does not have consistent support for her own care after her surgery, and she may need to hire help. With her future treatment in the United States, Jodi will certainly need financial support.

Please consider donating to a woman who would give the shirt off her back to anyone, yet hates to bug anyone for help when she needs it.