Please Help Lindsay get needed medical supplies

Hi, my name is Gloria and as I am sure many of you know, My sister, Lindsay, has been struggling and needs help. MS has been robbing her independence, let's get her the equipment she needs to be the active 41 yr old mom of 3 she longs to be. She turns 42 soon let's make her birthday special.

Imagine being 41 and on 4 pain meds, finally getting into the esteemed pain clinic to find out there is nothing more they can do, the pain is forever.

Imagine being told to prepare to no longer drive, as that restriction will be coming soon.

Imagine pulling up to your child's baseball game then realizing the field and stands are too far away to be able to get to even with your walker.

Imagine having to think everywhere you go how far everything is, if you will have enough energy to make it through.

100% of all the monies received will go to equipment that will make life easier.

-A small portable electric wheelchair (she has a large wheelchair but can only use if her husband is with her as she cant do the ramps etc on her own)

-cooling vests so she can be outside in the summer

-stair lifts as well as railings etc.

Lindsay met her husband, Brian, when she was just fifteen. They have been together ever since, and have 3 children. It is obvious in everything Lindsay and Brian do, and have done, that their kids mean the world to them. They became the sports parents, travelling to away games, shuffling their weekends to allow all three kids their chance to play whatever sport was wanted sadly that changed as Lindsay kept getting sicker and sicker.

She has always been a medical anomaly. And she always fought through. She had severe asthma as a child, allergies to just about everything, and numerous odd things that could never be attributed to anything specific. She spent most of her first few years in the hospital. A few years prior to 2020 she was diagnosed with narcolepsy and this seemed to explain most of the weird symptoms.

Then in 2020, she suffered from optic neuritis. For those that don’t know that’s an inflammation of the optic nerve, leading to severe pain and blurred vision. This diagnosis led to more tests and questions. Fast forward to 2021, during this year she had 9 MRI’s, 5 ultrasounds, 4 mammograms, 2 CT scans, 3 nerve tests, 2 breast biopsies, heart tests, and a copious amount of blood tests.

All this led to a new diagnosis, one that would change everything. Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Along with severe liver disease, tachycardia, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. All this on top of the existing condition of narcolepsy.

We are incredibly lucky to live in Canada, where most of her medical bills are paid. However, a good amount of the drugs she requires are not covered. Nor are many of the devices that she now requires.

As 2022 has rolled around her symptoms continue to worsen. She needs a walker all the time, the brain fog and stuttering over words comes and goes. The pain levels are intense. Anyone around her can feel the agony she is in. She can only drive short distances, and cannot even go into a grocery store any longer because her balance and fatigue are too extreme. She uses a powered mobility scooter when she needs to go out. She takes in excess of 40 pills a day, along with a daily needle and full day infusions every six months. She can no longer cook, shop or clean for her family, and rarely can she go to any sporting event for her children. Even with MS treatment, it will only stop the progression of the disease. It can’t reverse it. She will never get better. She is 41.

The expenses have continued to pile up. Hearing the fear and worry in her voice as she talks about how she might pay for this bill or that, is disheartening. They are bleeding over $600 a month in prescriptions alone that aren’t covered by their benefit plans.

In two short years, they have gone from an active two income family to a one income family. They have gone from having savings to being reduced to relying on credit to pay bills.

Lindsay has always been driven. She has been volunteering her time since she was a teenager, first in Scouting, The Sunshine Foundation, soup kitchens, various boards for local sports teams and now raising awareness and funds for MS. She has a great sense of humour, a deep loyalty and is a person that people just like to be around.

As her big sister, watching the struggle has been heartbreaking for me. More than anything I want to be able to help the whole family. So, I am asking, if you can, please donate and let one family feel whole again.

MS has no cure.