My Story My name is Amy. I am a 37-year-old wife and mother of six. For years, I have fought a complex battle with my health, navigating diagnoses of Hip Dysplasia, possible Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), and Ankylosing Spondylitis.

After the birth of my first child, a severe reaction to a vaccine triggered my HLA-B27 gene, leading to reactive arthritis. Despite clear physical symptoms and imaging, my concerns were often dismissed by the medical system. In 2017, my health reached a breaking point; I was bedridden and hospitalized at only 89 lbs, despite consuming 3,000 calories a day.

The Challenge To manage what was labeled as "just arthritis," I was placed on long-term Prednisone without proper baseline testing of my adrenal function. While I eventually received two much-needed hip replacements, 8.5 years of steroid use has taken a devastating toll on my body, causing significant damage to the bones in my wrists and hands.

Recently, I transitioned to hydrocortisone, but my body is currently "burning through" cortisol at an alarming rate—requiring 120 mg per day just to function, compared to the typical 10–25 mg. A recent hospitalization in early April confirmed that the current healthcare protocols are unable to explain why my metabolic rate is so high or identify the underlying missing link.

Why I Need Your Help My medical team agrees that specialized genetics testing is the next vital step. This testing is crucial to identify how my body processes medication and to uncover any underlying conditions that have been missed.

The Solution: Medical-Grade Genetic Testing My medical team agrees that Whole Genome Sequencing is the only way to find out why my body is hyper-metabolizing my medication and to identify the underlying condition the hospital system has missed.

To get these answers, I am raising funds for:

The Goal $3,000 This goal covers the $2,099 lab fee, the Healica consultation, taxes, any travel expenses(not including clinical trial listed below) and the GoFundMe platform fees. As I am on the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID), this life-saving diagnostic tool is currently out of my reach.

Once I have answers, I hope to use my experience to help others navigating similar "invisible" or complex illnesses. I have already signed up for clinical trials for adrenal insufficiency to contribute to future research.

How You Can Support Any contribution—whether it is $5 or simply sharing this link—brings me one step closer to the answers I need to be the mother and wife my family deserves.

Thank you for reading, for your kindness, and for your support.

A Note to My Supporters

Below, I am sharing this letter here to show you exactly why I have had to take matters into my own hands. The medical system failed to act even when the numbers showed I was in a "Panic" state. Your support is helping me bypass these systemic failures to get the private genetic testing I need to survive and stay here for my six children.

Formal Complaint: Medical Negligence & Failure to Treat

To: Saskatchewan Health Authority / Patient Advocate Office Regarding: Admissions at Pasqua Hospital & Regina General Hospital (April 1–5, 2026) Patient: Amy Lou Dawn

Executive Summary

This letter serves as a formal complaint regarding gross medical negligence and a failure to adhere to critical laboratory protocols. Despite lab results explicitly flagged as "Below Lower Panic Limits," I was repeatedly denied stabilizing treatment and diagnostic monitoring, culminating in a "conditional discharge" that endangered my life.

1. Clinical Evidence of Crisis (April 1–2)

Upon admission to the Pasqua ER, Dr. Amy Goodday authorized diagnostic labs at 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. The results were medically alarming:

Cortisol: Both readings were <28 nmol/L (Flagged: Below Lower Panic Limits).

CRP (Inflammation): 76.2 mg/L (Reference Range: 0–8 mg/L).

These results provided objective verification that my body was in an active physiological crisis.

2. Systematic Denial of Care

Despite the "Panic Level" results, subsequent care providers (Dr. Liskowich and Dr. Fingas) implemented a plan that directly contradicted my clinical needs:

Refusal of Monitoring: Dr. Liskowich explicitly ordered that no night labs be conducted and no nighttime hydrocortisone be administered, despite the proven drop-off.

Inappropriate Treatment: I was offered Naproxen (an NSAID) to treat a life-threatening hormone deficiency.

Administrative Barriers: My request for a CYP450 Enzyme Panel was denied based on incorrect claims regarding provincial coverage.

3. Negligence During Discharge & Transfer

I was discharged from Pasqua Hospital while experiencing hypertension, tachycardia

(heart rate consistently elevated), and neurological disorientation.

Upon transfer to Regina General Hospital, Dr. Katherine Klassen presented a "conditional diagnostic offer": she would only authorize a 2:00 a.m. cortisol check if I agreed—in advance—to leave the hospital immediately afterward, regardless of the result. I was discharged before the results even reached my portal.

4. Objective Proof of Recovery via Self-Management

Following my discharge, I implemented a strategic dosing schedule (11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.) to cover the nighttime window. Follow-up labs on April 8, 2026, prove that my self-assessment was correct:

The fact that I achieved clinical stability at home—using the exact methods the hospital staff deemed "unnecessary"—underscores the severity of the negligence I faced.

Since then bloodwork has further stabalized. My CRP was 5.9 on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026. For the first time in over a decade my iron panels were well within their healthy limits, as well.

5. Demand for Accountability

The clinical data was clear, yet it was repeatedly ignored. Had I not possessed the medical literacy and family support to advocate for myself, this week would have been fatal. I am requesting a full investigation into the adherence to critical lab protocols at both Pasqua and Regina General Hospitals to ensure no other patient is subjected to this level of risk.