Help Brenda Goulet receive a life changing back surgery

First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to read my mom’s story.

In the spring of 1998, my mom was in a car accident, she was rear ended as she slowed down for a vehicle in front of her. Little did we know, 2 Years after the accident, she would start to have strange symptoms, and this would derail her life for the next 25 years.

During these years she experienced severe muscle spasms for hours at a time, numbness in her limbs, what she described as “electrical shocks” in her legs and severe muscle cramping. Her symptoms continued to worsen, and new symptoms appeared such as extremely sensitive skin, fainting spells, exhaustion and unable to walk.

After years of researching, doctors visit, and medications we finally found what has caused her symptoms. In 2004 after an MRI, we found out that her spinal cord was trapped between C6-C7, causing permanent damage. This accident caused Spinal Stenosis, degenerative disc disease, disc herniations and severe damage to her SI joint.

In the fall of 2023, they were able to find a surgeon in Montreal, who was able to perform a spinal fusion from the base of her skull to the middle of her back. Thankfully, this surgery would be covered by our Canadian health care.

They jumped at the opportunity, packed everything they owned into a storage unit and moved from Saskatchewan to Montreal so they could have a chance at getting my moms life back.

She had a successful surgery in March of 2024. From there It was recommended to have her SI joint fused as well, which she underwent another surgery in September 2024.

You may be asking why they chose to move away from their hometown to another province for both the cervical fusion and SI joint surgery. The SI joint fusion is available only in Vancouver or Quebec, this specific surgery had to be paid from their life savings. For the cervical fusion, the wait times to have these surgeries in Saskatchewan can be a year minimum for a consult. From there another year or two depending on the scenario. With symptoms of paralysis and mobility becoming even more prominent- these surgeries were needed more urgently than we were able to wait.

Even after the surgeries to her upper back and SI joint, her condition continues to worsen because of the same spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease and disc herniations in her lower back. She now lives in 24/7 excruciating pain, she is unable to leave the house, and her life is passing her by.

My parents have spent their life savings, a total of $109,000 just since November 2023. This is only a glimpse into what they have spent on the journey to diagnose, treat and continue to treat her symptoms over 25 years.

Before this accident, my mom was a young, vivacious, active woman who owned her own business. She loved to go for long walks with my dad and their Dog. They used to spend time renovating their home, gardening and enjoying life. My dad worked for the Canadian Armed forces and is now a veteran. My Dad is the kindest man I know, he’s stood by her through every moment and has never waivered. He has taken on the role of her caregiver and has done a wonderful job.

This accident has taken Time that they used to spend enjoying their lives, and changed it into doctors’ visits and surgeries. They have had to watch the world pass them by from inside their home as she is not well enough to leave and participate in life. She is now 63 years old; our hope and dream are to give both her and my dad a better quality of life. My parents deserve to spend time with their children and their only granddaughter.

We are here to ask for help in raising money for Brenda, to have life changing surgery at BAJAMED in Mexico. We’re looking for help to raise the funds specifically for the surgery itself along with covering travel expenses and any aftercare that comes along with the surgery. We want to help bring mom and dad back home to Saskatchewan.

For those of you who wish to know specifics on the surgery, it would be a minimally invasive spinal decompression at L2-L3, L3-L4, L4-L5, Potential lumbar stabilization (fusion).

Thank you all for taking the time to read our story, our main goal is to give mom quality of life back!

Every dollar counts and if you can’t donate I urge you to share this wherever you can. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your donation really does mean the world to us!!!