Michael Gill - Supporting his battle with ALS

Michael Gill Needs Your Help.

 

Michael Gill, a teacher, husband, and father of three, has been diagnosed with Bulbar Onset ALS. Sadly, the prognosis for ALS is grim, and there is no cure.

 

 

What’s Happened?

Early this fall, Michael started to notice that he was having trouble speaking and swallowing. As the months rolled on, Michael became progressively more worried about his symptoms and sought out medical advice. After speaking with several specialists, and getting no clear diagnosis or support, Michael became frustrated with how slowly the Canadian system was and reached out to some extended family in the US in the medical field. After spending a couple of days in a neurology facility in Cincinnati, Michael received the devastating news that he was diagnosed with ALS (Bulbar Onset ALS) with a very low probability of misdiagnosis. Sadly, the prognosis for ALS is grim and unfortunately, there is no cure.

 

After only a few weeks since the diagnosis, the disease has progressed to an impactful stage. Although he feels physically quite strong, the Bulbar Onset form of ALS has already started to impact his speech and swallowing. As a result, Michael has had to leave his teaching job, where he was a hardworking and well-loved teacher. This is just one of the emotional hardships Michael is experiencing due to his illness. ALS is a terrible disease with an extremely challenging process. It’s an aggressive, motor neuron illness that gradually causes paralysis, making even the simplest things (walking, eating, swallowing, breathing) difficult and ultimately impossible. As you can imagine, this has been devastating news for Michael, Karina and their family.

 

Medical Steps

Michael has been taken into the Canadian ALS program at Sunnybrook, where he is getting connected to local care, additional testing, and other standard approaches to dealing with ALS. Although this traditional approach is a good start, different less standard approaches have the potential to add months to his journey. Unfortunately, these approaches are costly and can be financially draining, which only adds to the mental, physical and emotional drain of this heartbreaking disease.

 

We Need Your Help

Sadly, while we live in a country where many of our medical needs are covered, many trials are not, nor are the supplements, and long-term care equipment or technological devices that help ALS patients continue to interact with their families and friends meaningfully.

 

One specific cost Michael will benefit from, is the voice banking system. Michael’s recorded voice will later be transferred into a computer that he can activate to speak for him when he is no longer able to. It costs $1000 just to record his voice, and moving the recordings into the system costs another $1000. Unfortunately, this is only a fragment of the cost required to purchase the necessary computer to utilize this communication system. ALS can cause muscle cramping and tightening, and paramedical practitioners such as registered massage therapists and physiotherapists can help ease symptoms and maintain mobility as long as possible. Weekly massage therapy has been helpful to his muscles, however, it costs $100 weekly. Additionally, physiotherapy will cost $80 a session. Speech-language pathology, psychological therapy, and naturopathy all come at additional costs.

 

Numerous clinical trials for supplements and pharmaceuticals are being run internationally, and Michael will enter the ones available to him here locally. However, out-of-pocket costs accrue for supplements being purchased to stay at the cutting edge of new potential therapies. The subtype of ALS Michael has poses a challenge with swallowing and maintaining nutrition and weight. Supplements and caloric drinks run $500 monthly, with vitamin therapy costing $400 a month. In addition, Karina may need to consider transportation, child care, support services, and mobility aids, and all of these costs are still unknown.

 

Supporting Michael and his family through ALS is expensive, and to have a fighting chance they will need thousands of dollars. As this financial need increases, they are simultaneously challenged by a decrease in income as Michael continues on disability leave and Karina shifts to support his care as he requires it.

 

Already the family is straining to pay for the things Michael so painfully needs. From moving to a new home where it will be outfitted to support Michael’s needs, to purchasing specialized equipment, to accessing current breakthrough medications the costs are exponential.

 

Michael is also the proud father of three children. He is a devoted dad to his daughter Maya who is entering her third year of university, his son Ryan who will be going into grade 10, and Aidan who will be starting grade 1 in September. Being the selfless and loving man Michael is, he doesn’t want his current needs to burden others or the future needs of his kids financially. These financial burdens are heavy; therefore, it would be wonderful if we could help alleviate them in any way we can. That’s where your donations come in.

 

Our GoFundMe Campaign "Michael Gill - Supporting his battle with ALS " will help raise the funds required to support Michael and Karina as they face this devastating diagnosis and the massive financial burden that comes with it.

 

Where will the funds go?

The need is immediate, as the equipment list is long. In addition to the equipment and caregiving needs, Michael also needs resources to access new treatments and trials. If there are excess funds after these urgent priorities are met, the extra funds will be divided amongst Michael’s three children and Karina.

 

We need to raise $50,000

Please help Michael and Karina so they do not have to add this financial burden to their worries. Every cent of this campaign will go towards supporting Michael and Karina as they bravely face this journey ahead. Please pass this on to anyone you can think of. Every contact will make a big difference.

 

Note- When donating, there is a "Tip GoFundMe Services" tab which defaults to 12% this can be manually changed to 0 (or whatever you choose).