Help Trish Fight Colorectal Cancer!

Sometimes, things just don't go as planned.

If you found your way here by choice or by accident, I promise your life will be enriched by knowing two very special people: Trish and Dawn Vanson.

(Trish is pictured on the right)

Last year, Dawn retired early and without a pension due to increasing disability and health challenges. Trish continued running a daycare from their home and Dawn did her best to support her in that role.

Then the pandemic hit.

With loyal daycare parents who continued to provide a partial income, Trish coped with the stress of lockdown and later was back up and running with reduced hours, but due to pandemic protocols, an increased workload. The kids were as safe as they could be in a world-wide pandemic.

Then the second wave hit.

Trish continued to offer her best to the children in her care, but even the shorter days were more exhausting. It didn't make sense, but everyone was so stressed by Covid that they assumed it was also stress-related.

In February of this year, Trish's health took a serious turn for the worse, and a medical test on February 22 lead to a diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Suddenly the exhaustion made only too much sense.

What followed were a string of hospital waiting rooms and longer-term stays, emergency CT scans, MRIs, colostomy surgery to prevent a total bowel blockage, radiation, chemo, infection and IV antibiotics.

The infection inside of Trish was massive. The MRI showed that multiple sites were affected, including an ovary, ureter, and a large vein that goes to her leg. There could be no more chemo. The new plan became a 7–10-hour surgery to remove the tumour and infection with multiple surgical teams involved. That date has now been confirmed for August 9. Chemotherapy is expected to follow once the infection is resolved.

Amidst all of this, Trish and Dawn had been advised that they could apply for Canada Pension Plan Disability, which is intended to fill the gap for people with serious illness and works for those who are self-employed. Trish applied with the understanding that the file would be dealt with within a month; unfortunately, that proved inaccurate and there is no date in sight when the process might be complete. That means for quite some time already and for the foreseeable future, savings have been paying the bills.

That brings us to now.

The goals of this GoFundMe:

1. Fund living expenses to replace at least some of Trish's income until some source of income support is secured. Gas is particularly expensive right now, and multiple doctor and hospital visits, parking, etc. add up quickly.

2. Fund extra treatment and service expenses not covered by Ontario Health Insurance/Trillium Drug Plan.

3. Fund expenses for dietary needs and supplements - weeks and weeks of antibiotics mean a really challenged digestive system that requires probiotics and digestive supplements not covered.

4. Fund colostomy supplies - after this next surgery, Trish could have TWO colostomies requiring supplies and these are not funded.

For those of us who know Trish and Dawn Vanson, we know how much they give to their community, for how many children they've fostered and sheltered and loved, for how many people for whom they've been a safe haven...and now they need help.

If you’ve been blessed enough to have remained unaffected by health challenges or the pandemic, I humbly ask you to consider a modest donation within your means, because every bit will help.

These ladies are the salt of the earth. And we, their family and friends, would love to witness them grow old together.

Thank you from the depths of my heart, and from Trish’s fragile one,

Jeannine