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Help Bring Kaleigh Home!

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Hi, our names are Christina and Julice and we are fundraising $50,000 for our niece Kaleigh Edington.

Kaleigh is 23 years old and lives in Edmonton with her parents Belinda and Keith Edington. Growing up, Kaleigh was always active playing soccer on her community team which was coached by her dad Keith and her brother Ian. More recently, and prior to the accident, Kaleigh was attending Grant MacEwan College, studying Design.

Kaleigh was 21 years old when a neurosurgeon at the University of Alberta Hospital (Dr. Chow) discovered that Kaleigh had an Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) in her neck and attached to her spine and spinal cord. Kaleigh’s neurosurgeon has said that her AVM is the most complicated in all of Canada, he has never seen anything like it, and he has had to consult with doctors all over the country. The AVM was only noticed coincidentally when Kaleigh had an accident and suffered a brain injury and had to have emergency surgery on July 21, 2018.

Kaleigh has been in and out of the University of Alberta Hospital for the past 2 years and has been there permanently since February of 2021 when she had her last procedure. During this time her neurosurgeon has repaired as much of the AVM as possible, however he is not able to repair all of it as what remains is too risky for him to reach. As a result, Kaleigh has lost mobility from the chest down. This paralysis has also affected her diaphragm which has resulted in respiratory issues as well.

Here is a link for information on AVM (https://www.aans.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Arteriovenous-Malformations)

On June 28, 2021 Kaleigh was finally transferred to the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton for intense physical therapy. The family home has been assessed and in order for Kaleigh to be able to go home to her parents, they need to renovate their home so it is wheelchair accessible. This includes items such as widening the paved walk, installing a wheelchair lift at the front door, installing a ceiling lift bar in bedroom to get her in and out of bed, renovating the bathroom and installing a roll in shower, purchasing an electric wheelchair that Kaleigh can control using her head, as well as a manual wheelchair. These are just a few of the items required.

The costs are abundant and overwhelming to say the least. Kaleigh’s mom Belinda, our sister, took a leave of absence from work to become Kaleigh’s full time caregiver and to be with Kaleigh at the hospital every day, she is there not just for moral support but because Kaleigh needs her there for everything from helping her eat to scratching her nose. Unfortunately, Belinda’s leave from work has expired and she has had to give up her job entirely to be there for Kaleigh. The loss of Belinda’s salary combined with all of the renovations they need to bring Kaleigh home is a huge amount of financial stress, on top of the stress and worry of Kaleigh’s condition.

We need to raise $50,000 so your donation is very much appreciated by Kaleigh and her family so that she can finally go home!

 

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    Organizer and beneficiary

    Julice Belcourt-Stubbs
    Organizer
    Edmonton, AB
    Belinda And Keith Edington
    Beneficiary

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