Gisele Needs an Accessible Home!
Donation protected
After going through treatment including chemo, radiation, and stem cell transplants for two different cancers, Gisele now faces an ongoing battle with Graft Versus Host Disease. Her life is changed forever, and she needs help finding a living situation that can accommodate her new needs.
Some background: Gisele was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma in 1993. After many bouts of chemotherapy, a successful stem cell transplant in 2005 gave her a new lease on life. She went back to work and started to create a new life where she left off. Unfortunately in 2013 she found unusual marks on her body and was admitted to the Juravinsky Cancer Hospital, only to discover that after some bewilderment by her doctors that she had a second cancer - Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL).
This time she underwent a second stem cell transplant that was extremely taxing on her body and immune system. Serious bouts of chemo and radiation before the transplant, as well as medication before and after put an incredible strain on her system, weakening her heart, muscles and bones as well as developing medication-induced diabetes.
But even more taxing is that she is now suffering from chronic Graft Versus Host Disease (when the new grafted cells attack your own body) which weakens the body, creates strange and debilitating symptoms affecting nearly every part of her body, and most extremely has eaten away at the bones in her hips.
What she needs: Gisele lives alone and has a very small house that is not equipped to handle a wheelchair. In addition to being unsuitable for her new mobility needs, her little house will be blocked by construction this summer, making transportation very difficult. Retrofitting her house to accommodate her disability and need for assistance is unrealistic.
We are looking for donations to help Gisele sell her house and buy a small condo that is equipped for wheelchair access and disabilities, or for her to move into an assisted living residence. Both being a cost well out of reach as the sale of her house, combined with her work pension would not be able to cover the expense.
Gisele has had an incredible and unusually long struggle with this disease. Fantastic medical attention, committed support from family, friends, the cancer society and their wonderful volunteers, and her unquenchable strength of spirit have carried her through this very long process. But now her financial resources, after such a long struggle, are quite depleted and she needs a lot of help finding a place where she can live comfortably, with easy access and the care she needs.
She needs to move as soon as possible to a place that can accommodate her mobility issues, so please share widely, and contribute if you can! Thank you so much for your help!
Some background: Gisele was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma in 1993. After many bouts of chemotherapy, a successful stem cell transplant in 2005 gave her a new lease on life. She went back to work and started to create a new life where she left off. Unfortunately in 2013 she found unusual marks on her body and was admitted to the Juravinsky Cancer Hospital, only to discover that after some bewilderment by her doctors that she had a second cancer - Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL).
This time she underwent a second stem cell transplant that was extremely taxing on her body and immune system. Serious bouts of chemo and radiation before the transplant, as well as medication before and after put an incredible strain on her system, weakening her heart, muscles and bones as well as developing medication-induced diabetes.
But even more taxing is that she is now suffering from chronic Graft Versus Host Disease (when the new grafted cells attack your own body) which weakens the body, creates strange and debilitating symptoms affecting nearly every part of her body, and most extremely has eaten away at the bones in her hips.
What she needs: Gisele lives alone and has a very small house that is not equipped to handle a wheelchair. In addition to being unsuitable for her new mobility needs, her little house will be blocked by construction this summer, making transportation very difficult. Retrofitting her house to accommodate her disability and need for assistance is unrealistic.
We are looking for donations to help Gisele sell her house and buy a small condo that is equipped for wheelchair access and disabilities, or for her to move into an assisted living residence. Both being a cost well out of reach as the sale of her house, combined with her work pension would not be able to cover the expense.
Gisele has had an incredible and unusually long struggle with this disease. Fantastic medical attention, committed support from family, friends, the cancer society and their wonderful volunteers, and her unquenchable strength of spirit have carried her through this very long process. But now her financial resources, after such a long struggle, are quite depleted and she needs a lot of help finding a place where she can live comfortably, with easy access and the care she needs.
She needs to move as soon as possible to a place that can accommodate her mobility issues, so please share widely, and contribute if you can! Thank you so much for your help!
Organizer and beneficiary
Chantal Lapointe
Organizer
Brantford, ON
Gisele Van Dijk
Beneficiary
