Since Austin was just twelve years old, he has lived with constant neck pain, tongue numbness and spasms, and painful shocks through the neck and jaw.  Over the years he tried everything—countless appointments in physiotherapy, chiropractic adjustment, osteopathic therapy, massage and sport therapy, naturopathic treatment, acupuncture- the most relief would only ever last about a week. He has seen multiple doctors and specialists spanning from ENT’s to neurologists and neuromuscular doctors who all put him through many MRI’s, CT scans and other tests just to tell him they couldn’t see anything wrong.

About a year ago he was finally next on the list to meet a neurosurgeon in Toronto he had been waiting over 3 years to see!In June, he and Noelle made the long drive to Toronto for initial appointments and more MRI’s and

scans. Eventually, his surgery was scheduled, and they flew back on November 5th for the final procedures.

During his first scope procedure, a Cerebral Angiogram was used to hopefully confirm a suspicion of a diagnosis of a rare condition called Eagles Syndrome.  This is where a catheter is used to go through blood vessels from the waist to the neck/head area and then to the main arteries to look at the area of concern for unusual patterns and spot pressure points in nerves and blood flow. Everything initially seemed to go as expected. However, several hours after leaving the hospital, Austin began experiencing extremely severe pain. He was rushed to emergency, where they discovered he had suffered a serious internal bleed from the abdomen into the lower back. After a few days in and out of emerge with many ultrasounds and CT scans, and close monitoring, the bleeding thankfully stopped, and he was finally cleared for the surgery he had been waiting years to receive.

Austin was officially diagnosed with Eagles Syndrome, which is a rare condition where an elongated bone near the base of the skull that presses on nerves and blood vessels. His specialist found that one of the bone ligaments had become calcified, causing nerves and veins around to swell and not function properly. During surgery, multiple teams of neuro-vascular surgeon and neurosurgeon and doctors came together to help remove the calcified portion in hopes of relieving the pressures built up and ending the symptoms he has struggled with all these years.

Austin has had some difficult days with a number of complications but is now moving past them. He is now on bed rest and is being monitored consistently by nurses in the hospital.

Hope Air generously provided financial support for their flights and some initial hotel costs, but that assistance has now run out. Austin and Noelle are currently paying out of pocket for a hotel so Noelle can stay near the hospital and be by Austin’s side every day. They are hoping he will be able to be discharged this coming week so they can fly home to PEI, but the challenges don’t end there.

Austin will not be able to return to work for a long time, and Noelle is caring for him around the clock, making it difficult for her to work as well. This has placed a heavy financial strain on both of them during an already overwhelming time.

We are asking for help to support Austin and Noelle through the next few months. Any contribution...big or small, will go directly toward their living costs, medical travel expenses, and helping them stay afloat while Austin recovers and Noelle continues caring for him.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting them, praying for them, and lifting them up during this difficult journey. Your kindness means more than you know.