What Got Us Here

In October 2024, Christine was diagnosed with a horrible case of shingles, causing extreme pain and permanent nerve damage down the right side of her body. Since then she has been on a waiting list to see a neurologist and a rheumatologist while managing daily pain and stress.

In January of 2025, Christine was permanently put off work from her three jobs and remains on long term disability waiting to see specialists.

Christine is a single mom who works as an educational assistant as well as a school bus driver. She fills her time with many odd jobs such as cleaning, Skip the Dishes, or whatever she can find to make ends meet. She is one of the most dedicated, hard-working single moms I know. She loves her children more than anything and gives her heart and career to children as well. Not being able to work has taken a huge toll on Christine’s mental and financial stability, and managing her pain daily has become her full time job.

About Her History

For years, Christine suffered silently, dealing with excruciating pain in her stomach, back, hips, and legs. She endured many procedures, surgeries, and biopsies to try and get to the bottom of these mysterious ailments and pain. She’s had numerous cortisone shots, colonoscopies, and even had her gallbladder removed. She’s been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome—among other things—yet, no treatments or medications have ever really helped or given her answers long term.

Christine began researching a disease she was diagnosed with at the young age of 13. All she remembers being told about this disease is that it could cause infertility, and she would have to go on birth control to help with the pain of her periods. She also remembers multiple doctors telling her that if she ever did get pregnant, that the disease would be cured, which is absolutely false. Sadly, Christine and many others believed it.

Christine has been seeing the same family physician for 18 years, since she was pregnant with her first child. She was pregnant, and she never mentioned her disease to her then new doctor because she believed she was cured. She was just so thrilled to be pregnant. It was something she’s always wanted.

Fast forward 17 years to Christine, off work and motivated for answers. She began researching and questioning things. Shockingly, she began to realize her symptoms could actually all be related to her disease. Decades of ailments that have been misdiagnosed, missed altogether, and causing immense stress on her body and mind, all without her even knowing. She had no clue just how bad this disease is. So when she told her doctor that she had been diagnosed with endometriosis at the age of 13, he was shocked. All she had was the scars on her belly as proof of past procedures and her word. Thankfully, he believed her.

Now, his goal was also to have Christine see a gynaecologist. After months and months of trying, the sad conclusion was there is absolutely no gynaecologist that would accept a referral unless the individual was pregnant or of reproductive age. So even though Christine has been diagnosed with endometriosis, and has gone through four laparoscopic surgeries, nobody will accept her in Alberta. She absolutely needs a gynaecologist in order to be referred any further in Canada to see an excision specialist (which is a minimum 2 to 5 year wait in Calgary), and she needs the other two specialists to deal with her nerves. This could take years.

The procedures she had done to remove the disease in the past through laparoscopic surgery is called ablation. This process actually causes this disease to grow more rapidly and cause more pain due to scar tissue. Most doctors in Canada are still treating the disease this way.

This realization has not only caused a lot of grief and sadness, it’s also motivated Christine more than anything to learn about her condition and fight the Canadian healthcare system to make some serious changes. She, along with many others, have had to accept that proper care for this disease doesn’t exist in Canada.

The Truth About Endometriosis

Endometriosis is not just a gynaecological disease. It is a full body, systemic, inflammatory disease characterized by the presence of endometrium-like tissue found outside the uterine cavity that can invade all organs, from head to toe. It is unknown what causes this disease and there is no known cure. Having excision surgery to properly excise the disease from the root is the best known method.

Where We Need Help

Christine has found a small handful of centres across the world that truly deal with this disease in a manner to which Canada has yet to adapt to. In fact, Canada and many other countries are very behind on the knowledge and education of this disease. Just like Christine, women all over the world are being gaslit, ignored, and told to push through the pain, while scans and tests repeatedly come back “clear.” This is not acceptable.

Christine has worked very hard to get to the bottom of her health, working with a therapist to help with the daily stress and learning to be transparent for the first time ever about her health struggles. She doesn’t want anyone to have to suffer like she has.

Christine’s goal is to get to Bucharest, Romania, where she can receive some of the most world class treatment from an entire multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Gabriel Mitroi at the Bucharest Endometriosis Center. These doctors will work together to not only excise the disease, but she will also get the nerve decompression surgery and hysterectomy that she so badly needs.

The wait to see specialists in Canada has been frustrating and horrendous. As of now, Christine has been waiting almost a year and a half just to see one of the three. Getting Christine to Romania would allow her to have the care she needs with all of the doctors that can properly diagnose and help treat her for multiple symptoms. This is something she has never experienced in Canada.

We Are Halfway There

Here’s the great news: Christine’s goal is becoming a reality thanks to some amazing family and friends! The cost of surgery (approx. $20,000) has been raised! She was able to book her surgery in Bucharest.

Christine’s life changing surgery is booked for September 16, 2026 at the Bucharest Endometriosis Center in Romania. She will need to be away from home for three weeks. We want to help with remaining costs.

Once she gets there, they will perform an MRI, but there is no clear way to know the exact costs.

Here is Why

This disease can be deeply embedded in muscle and hiding in and around organs, so the possibility of more work needed is a reality. Christine is also suspected of having Adenomyosis (something she needs a gynaecologist to diagnose) which is a different disease on its own. However, it’s commonly found in women with endometriosis, especially if undiagnosed or untreated for years. This causes organs to start sticking together, causing excruciating stomach and pelvic pains.

What Donations Will Go Towards

Donations will contribute to the cost of flights for both Christine and a companion. It will also go towards food, accommodation, and transportation to and from the hospital while in Bucharest, as well as help to ease the financial burden while she’s unable to work, which would help so much with her recovery. She has a long road ahead.

This progressive condition and nerve pain have taken up enough of Christine’s life. It has affected her schooling, her relationships, and her jobs. She has begun advocating for herself and others with all of this new found knowledge and vows to never stop. Women’s health has very much become a passion of hers.

Asking for help is not easy, and I know Christine has done everything she can to pursue all the help she can get through traditional channels. This fundraiser represents the final step in accessing treatment that she deserves in order to have and preserve some quality of life. If you are able to donate, that is amazing, and if not, please just share this page and possibly some prayers as we support Christine through this journey across the world to protect her health and future.

Any contribution no matter how big or small will make a world of difference to Christine as she prepares to travel across the world to get the care that she deserves.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read.

Sincerely,

Clara Wessel