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People in Canada are becoming permanently disabled while waiting for tests that do not exist here.
Fill the Cracks is a patient-led national initiative helping people access diagnosis and care when the system has no path.
Across Canada, patients with complex brain, spine, and neurological conditions are declining while waiting for testing and specialists that do not exist or are not accessible in Canada.
This fundraiser opens doors now, before delays cause irreversible harm.
We are raising funds in clear phases to safely coordinate diagnostic access, medical travel, and patient support.
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What is Fill the Cracks?
Fill the Cracks is a patient-led national initiative created to help people access diagnosis, testing, and care when those pathways do not exist or are not accessible in Canada.
For many complex brain, spine, and neurological conditions, patients are told to wait.
But waiting is not neutral.
While patients wait, they lose mobility.
They lose vision.
They suffer strokes.
They become permanently disabled.
Fill the Cracks exists to intervene before it is too late.
Why This Is Urgent
Across Canada, patients with conditions like spinal CSF leaks, EDS, CCI, SIH, IIH, Eagle Syndrome, MCAS, Lupus, Crohn’s, acquired brain injuries, and other complex neurological conditions are declining right now.
For many of these conditions:
- The necessary diagnostic equipment does not exist in Canada
- There are no established care pathways
- Patients are told to fundraise on their own or wait indefinitely
For spinal CSF leaks alone, many patients have no option but to travel to the United States just to locate the problem. Only after diagnosis can they attempt to return to Canada for treatment.
Every delay increases the risk of permanent harm.
Why Patients Are Running Out of Time
Before Fill the Cracks, patients were expected to fundraise individually just to survive.
The reality:
- Supporting thousands of patients this way would exceed $20 million
- That burden has been placed on sick individuals and families
- One fundraiser at a time
- While people are actively declining
That is not sustainable.
That is not humane.
Fill the Cracks exists to change this together.
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Rebecca’s Story (Why This Exists)
When I first got sick, I believed it would be simple.
Go to the hospital.
Get help.
Get better.
Instead, I fell into the cracks no one warns you about.
I lost my vision.
I had mini-strokes.
I lost the ability to walk.
I was told my symptoms were anxiety, or that I was reading too much online, even as my body was shutting down.
When the truth finally came out, I learned something devastating:
Canada did not have the testing or pathways to diagnose or treat me.
I was told I would need to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars just to access care not yet available here.
Inside patient communities, I learned this was happening to thousands of others.
I couldn’t fundraise for myself and leave everyone else behind.
That’s when Fill the Cracks was born.
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What We’ve Built So Far
- A national patient and caregiver network
- Dedicated volunteers, advocates, and professionals
- A documentary series amplifying patient stories nationally
- New partnerships and opportunities emerging since our December launch
We are now forming the Fill the Cracks Committee to move from crisis response to coordinated action.
But patients need help now, not later.
This fundraiser is structured so donations turn into action immediately, not someday.
Why We Are Raising Funds Now
This fundraiser allows us to act responsibly, ethically, and safely while patients are actively declining.
Phase 1: $25,000 — Foundation and Safety
This funding allows us to:
- Onboard administrative and coordination support
- Begin deposits with smaller partner organizations
- Support early patient projects safely
- Prevent burnout, delays, and errors in urgent medical coordination
This phase gets action started immediately.
Phase 2: $75,000 — Doors Open
This funding allows us to:
- Secure larger medical and diagnostic deposits
- Act on time-sensitive opportunities already available
- Support patients whose conditions are worsening
- Expand coordinated medical travel and diagnostics
This is where momentum becomes real access.
What Comes Next
This fundraiser is not only about emergency access.
It is about building pathways so thousands of patients do not have to repeat this crisis again.
Next steps include:
- A second phase of our documentary series
- Spotlighting patients currently falling through the cracks
- Supporting nonprofit partners already helping patients with limited funding
- Working with medical professionals and advocates toward solutions
If We Exceed Our Initial Goal
If this campaign exceeds its early funding targets, funds will be directed toward:
- Supporting nonprofit partners nationwide
- Expanding coordinated diagnostic and treatment access
- Advocacy to bring advanced testing and pathways to Canada
- Reducing the need for patients to leave the country just to be diagnosed
The long-term goal is clear:
Patients should not have to leave Canada to survive.
Why a $5 Donation Matters
This campaign is intentionally symbolic.
If you are able, we invite you to donate $5 in the name of patients.
That $5 represents:
- Everyday trade-offs families on disability are forced to make
- Being seen in a system that often overlooks small numbers
- Proof that patients exist, and that their lives matter
For patients watching this fundraiser, every $5 is visible.
Patients actively follow this page because it shows them they are not invisible.
Every name is a signal.
Every share creates another path forward.
What happens when the healthcare system has no path forward, and waiting means harm?
How You Can Help Right Now
You do not need to give a large amount to help.
You help by:
- Donating what you can
- Sharing this fundraiser
- Following and amplifying our work
Small actions create momentum.
Momentum opens doors.
Doors save lives.
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Thank You
Fill the Cracks exists because people stepped in when systems didn’t.
This fundraiser is about moving from survival to structure.
From isolated fundraising to collective care.
Without leaving patients behind while we build it.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for caring.
For those seeking more detailed background and patient stories, our newsletter is available here: https://tinyurl.com/sallynews2512
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