Help Wendy Fight for Her Life and Recovery

Our lives have been turned upside down.

Late on the night of May 4th, we rushed my mom to the hospital after what started as a bad flu took a terrifying turn. She arrived struggling to breathe, with dangerously low oxygen levels, and her heart was out of rhythm in atrial fibrillation. Despite attempts to stabilize her, she was getting worse by the minute.

In the early hours of May 5th, doctors discovered she had developed severe pneumonia, and from there, everything unravelled. Her oxygen dropped below 60%, and her body began to shut down. She was quickly placed in a medically induced coma and put on a ventilator. The pneumonia had turned septic, her lungs had stopped working, and she was slipping into multi-organ failure.

The local hospital in Collingwood didn't have the resources to keep her alive. The only chance was an emergency airlift to Toronto to be placed on ECMO — a life support system that could do the work her lungs and heart could no longer manage. We were told to say our goodbyes. The doctors warned us that she might not survive the flight, but staying meant death.

Only by prayers and a sheer miracle my mom survived the transport and is now in the care of a critical care team in Toronto. They were able to intervene and provide stabilization quickly. She does not need ECMO at this point, but this can change at any moment. She remains in a coma and is not expected to be taken off the ventilator for at least two more weeks or longer. Her body is still fighting, but the road ahead will be long, with weeks in the ICU and an unknown amount of recovery time ahead. Eventually, she may be moved closer to home, but for now, everything is day by day.

My mom is a small business owner who has always poured her heart into her work and her community. She's the kind of person who goes out of her way to support local events, connect with people, and lift others up. But now, everything is on pause—her business is closed, and she won't be able to work for months. The financial burden is immense.

If you know my mom, she doesn't like asking for help, but she could use it right now. I'm asking for your support — to help cover the growing expenses of her care and living costs. At the same time, she recovers and gives her the best chance at healing without the stress of finances.

If you know Wendy, you know her spirit — strong, kind, and endlessly generous.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading, donating, and keeping my mom in your thoughts.