Help Matt with Medical Support & Spinal Surgery
Donation protected
Hi everyone,
My name is Claire French and I am fundraising for my friend Matt Gibson (aka 'Mindful Matt', dedicated, local Theravada Buddhist and Perth based meditation teacher), who has been experiencing severe pain and multiple, debilitating health issues for the last 12 years.
He is suffering from spinal fractures, including a full break in the Pars Bone at L5 / S1. This is caused by Spondylolisthesis (a degenerative spine condition) and related chronic health issues. The condition of his spine is deteriorating and the related pain is extreme. There are days when even the most basic things that we often take for granted (walking, sitting, putting shoes on etc) are extremely difficult and almost unbearable for him. His GP can not help as he is in need of specialist support and spinal surgery.
I was shocked to hear that after 3.5 years of waiting to get the specialist hospital care he needs, he had slipped through the cracks of our medical system and somehow ended back at the bottom of the waiting list (with no consideration or acknowledgement of the years he had already been waiting). He was recently told he would have to wait another 2.5 years to get help -- devastating news that left him feeling completely defeated in his fight to stay positive and get through each day.
Matt has so much to offer our community. He is an amazing photographer, a highly experienced meditation teacher, a caring family man and a valued, long-time member of the community at WA's Theravada Buddhist monasteries (Perth hills and Albany) that he has frequented (and supported through his photographic story telling and dedicated studies) for 12 years. Sadly due to his deteriorating condition he is now struggling to continue with his weekly class offerings and he is unable to work to support his family of 4 who are currently struggling to make it through each week.
Matt has the support of his long-time teacher Ajahn Brahm (A WA based Theravada Buddhist Monk who is the Abbot at Bodhinyana Monastery) who has kindly recorded a character reference so that those who wish to support Matt's journey to health, can better understand the situation and the person they are supporting. You can hear the character reference here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR0UJJB-Wmq13MeiBIrBYNsKT4vaI8fE8XZpMhnU0lCqCRkQ6EPNa1-XTME&v=QcdOE9c3McU&feature=youtu.be
And you can get to know Matt (and his amazing nature photography) a bit better through his pages here:
https://www.facebook.com/mindfulmatt88
https://www.instagram.com/mindful_matt/
https://mindfulmatt88.wixsite.com/behappy
I would like to raise funds to cover private health insurance which will get Matt to a specialist and into surgery much more quickly. I am aware that the pre-existing condition may mean that even with insurance, he may need to wait for up to a year to be seen, however a one year wait vs a 2.5 year wait would make a huge difference to Matt and his family. Private health will also move him through the system much more quickly.
Private health for 3 years is almost $7200 (the first goal of this fundraiser) and any extra funds will be greatly appreciated as it will go towards additional health support and other important basic wellness related expenses that are not possible for a family of 4 living off a single low income. Surgery and hospital fees (currently estimated to be anywhere between 10-25k) will also need to be taken into consideration.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I believe that no one should suffer in so much pain for so long. I would love to see Matt being supported by our hospital system so he and his family are able to move forward in life. I would love to see Matt back in a position where he can teach regular meditation classes, share his beautiful photography with the world and support others who are exploring meditation as a way to manage their own health and happiness.
Thank you for reading this far and thank you for supporting this fundraiser.
~ Claire
*Please note, all the funds raised through this page will go towards Matt's medical expenses, however if you would also like to help him with basic living expenses (such as food, petrol & rent), head over to the donation button on his page (which was previously for 'pay as you feel' classes and teachings). https://mindfulmatt88.wixsite.com/behappy/donate
If you have any other ideas of how to help Matt (ie a great specialist contact etc), please reach out and let us know!
My name is Claire French and I am fundraising for my friend Matt Gibson (aka 'Mindful Matt', dedicated, local Theravada Buddhist and Perth based meditation teacher), who has been experiencing severe pain and multiple, debilitating health issues for the last 12 years.
He is suffering from spinal fractures, including a full break in the Pars Bone at L5 / S1. This is caused by Spondylolisthesis (a degenerative spine condition) and related chronic health issues. The condition of his spine is deteriorating and the related pain is extreme. There are days when even the most basic things that we often take for granted (walking, sitting, putting shoes on etc) are extremely difficult and almost unbearable for him. His GP can not help as he is in need of specialist support and spinal surgery.
I was shocked to hear that after 3.5 years of waiting to get the specialist hospital care he needs, he had slipped through the cracks of our medical system and somehow ended back at the bottom of the waiting list (with no consideration or acknowledgement of the years he had already been waiting). He was recently told he would have to wait another 2.5 years to get help -- devastating news that left him feeling completely defeated in his fight to stay positive and get through each day.
Matt has so much to offer our community. He is an amazing photographer, a highly experienced meditation teacher, a caring family man and a valued, long-time member of the community at WA's Theravada Buddhist monasteries (Perth hills and Albany) that he has frequented (and supported through his photographic story telling and dedicated studies) for 12 years. Sadly due to his deteriorating condition he is now struggling to continue with his weekly class offerings and he is unable to work to support his family of 4 who are currently struggling to make it through each week.
Matt has the support of his long-time teacher Ajahn Brahm (A WA based Theravada Buddhist Monk who is the Abbot at Bodhinyana Monastery) who has kindly recorded a character reference so that those who wish to support Matt's journey to health, can better understand the situation and the person they are supporting. You can hear the character reference here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR0UJJB-Wmq13MeiBIrBYNsKT4vaI8fE8XZpMhnU0lCqCRkQ6EPNa1-XTME&v=QcdOE9c3McU&feature=youtu.be
And you can get to know Matt (and his amazing nature photography) a bit better through his pages here:
https://www.facebook.com/mindfulmatt88
https://www.instagram.com/mindful_matt/
https://mindfulmatt88.wixsite.com/behappy
I would like to raise funds to cover private health insurance which will get Matt to a specialist and into surgery much more quickly. I am aware that the pre-existing condition may mean that even with insurance, he may need to wait for up to a year to be seen, however a one year wait vs a 2.5 year wait would make a huge difference to Matt and his family. Private health will also move him through the system much more quickly.
Private health for 3 years is almost $7200 (the first goal of this fundraiser) and any extra funds will be greatly appreciated as it will go towards additional health support and other important basic wellness related expenses that are not possible for a family of 4 living off a single low income. Surgery and hospital fees (currently estimated to be anywhere between 10-25k) will also need to be taken into consideration.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I believe that no one should suffer in so much pain for so long. I would love to see Matt being supported by our hospital system so he and his family are able to move forward in life. I would love to see Matt back in a position where he can teach regular meditation classes, share his beautiful photography with the world and support others who are exploring meditation as a way to manage their own health and happiness.
Thank you for reading this far and thank you for supporting this fundraiser.
~ Claire
*Please note, all the funds raised through this page will go towards Matt's medical expenses, however if you would also like to help him with basic living expenses (such as food, petrol & rent), head over to the donation button on his page (which was previously for 'pay as you feel' classes and teachings). https://mindfulmatt88.wixsite.com/behappy/donate
If you have any other ideas of how to help Matt (ie a great specialist contact etc), please reach out and let us know!
Organizer and beneficiary
Claire French
Organizer
Myaree WA
Matt Gibson
Beneficiary
