As many of you know, the past two years of my life have been a rollercoaster of a survival journey.

Quick recap for anyone who hasn’t been following my story on social media.

(and option to bow out now if you have a weak stomach or aren't in a state of mind to hear about some uncomfortable things ...)

In November of 2023 I learned that I had an aneurysm in my abdomen, and shortly thereafter I learned I had a second aneurysm on my aortic root - where my Aorta connects to my heart.

An aneurysm is a ballooning vein. If left unrepaired, the vein eventually breaks, you bleed internally.

Without swift medical intervention, you die.

Both aneurysms required high risk, life-saving surgeries (open heart, and open abdomen) that took me out of service for many months at a time, and caused secondary injuries, some of which I'm still recovering from.

The cause of my aneurysms was deemed to be a rare genetic condition that runs in families - Loeys-Dietz Syndrome (LDS).

My diagnosis triggered screening for the gene throughout my family.

As a result, my father learned did that he had an aneurysm on his heart in the same location as mine.

He underwent open-heart surgery eight weeks after mine.

We were both placed at the top of the cardiac surgery wait list.

Aneurysms are the element of this condition that affects your longevity, but the gene also affects collagen assembly throughout the body, and disrupts one's quality of life accordingly.

The same LDS gene that causes aneurysms also leads to a progressive weakening of muscles and at least 18 other tissues throughout the body.

I’d been living with increasing levels of chronic pain and reduced mobility since my 20s.

After my LDS diagnosis, I finally understood why.

My most recent surgery was twelve months ago.

By July of last summer, I had not yet recovered, and was nearly paralyzed - unable to stand, sit, or do much at all for more than 5 - 10 minutes at a time before taking rest.

The story I was told by doctors was that my condition is a progressive illness (like Parkinson's and Multiple Schlerosis), and that my symptoms and paralysis were likely to continue to worsen over time. Many people with the condition end up unable to work at all. The gene occurs in less than 0.02% of people, so there aren't many resources devoted to research or treatment of my condition.

It was a grim prognosis, and challenging to accept.

I could see holes in the story doctors were telling me. They leaned on science, but weren't practising it.

So, I didn't accept it.

I threw everything I had in me towards finding a way to recover my strength, mobility, and get free from pain.

I drew on a range of alternative and traditional healing practises, diets, medicines, and exercise regimens.

I made myself a guinea pig.

The good news: my recovery experiment has worked.

Over the last six months I have regained mobility, strength and have broken free from the chronic-pain jail I was stuck in for so long.

I still have significant pain, but it is episodic, not chronic, and it no longer disables me.

I found a way out :)

I feel stronger than I’ve ever felt as an adult, and am amazed at the power of the human body to heal.

In time, I hope to write about my recovery and make proper sense of how I recovered.

I know others who continue to suffer with my same condition, understand their pain, and am hopeful that the model I've followed for recovery can work for them too.

Before I can get to making sense of my recovery, I have some practical, financial problems I need to resolve, which is why I'm writing today.

Financial Challenges

I haven't been strong or healthy enough to hold a full time job since I left Springtide in 2020.

The Canadian health care system saved my life, but I fell between the gaps of the social safety net.

EI sick benefits don't offer much for those who can only work part time, and for reasons I don't understand, the CPP disability claims I filed when I was nearly paralyzed were rejected.

I sold my car, consolidated my debts into a consumer proposal and pulled out the few thousand dollars I had in retirement savings in order to get by and recover.

Recovery consumed all of my resources.

I have had some financial support from family and friends who made it possible for me to get this far, but I'm still wrestling with numerous financial challenges, and my closest people are tapped out.

I am close to the finish line of my recovery, and just about ready to return to meaningful, full-time work.

The support I'm asking for in this message will help me do that by addressing some of the recovery-related debts I've incurred, covering ongoing health-related expenses, gaps in my budget, and the logistical challenges associated with returning to work (securing reliable transportation, spending time developing the relationships that will allow me to return to my career path.

How to contribute:

I've set up a GoFundMe page here, where you can make a donation:

You can also send an e-transfer, which means GoFundMe doesn't take a small cut from your donation:

Any support you can provide is much appreciate.

Mad love and appreciation to you all,

Mark