*(Full Story Below - Scroll to bottom for Bulletpoint Recap, Facts & Breakdown)
Alexa is a 23 y.o. fun loving sister and daughter of a single mother family. After 2 unsuccessful surgical interventions within 16 months, she is now in desperate need of a Latarjet procedure. The procedure involves removal / transfer of a coracoid section with muscle and attachment to the
front muscles of the glenoid. This placement of the coracoid acts as a bone block which, combined with the transferred muscles acting as a strut,
prevents further dislocation.
In layman's terms, this procedure involves removing a piece of bone from another part of the shoulder, and attaching it to the front of the shoulder
socket. The bone will then act as a barrier which will physically block the shoulder from slipping out of the socket, while the muscles which are
transferred with the bone will give additional stability to the joint.
Why Alexa needs your help.
In 2014, aged 18, after Alexa lost her best friend & prom date to a horrible car crash, she decided to cross Canada in her little VW Rabbit, to Whistler,
B.C. in hopes finding some relief and motivation. Brought up in the Laurentians and learning to ski at a young age, she fell in love with the beauty
and outdoor friendly community of British Colombia.
(Taken at Jean-Francois Savard's resting place in St-Sauveur, QC, Canada, Autumn 2013 right before leaving for Whistler B.C.)
But as life would have it, 3 months into her adventure, she had a bad fall during one of her early morning descents on Blackcomb and tore ligaments in
her right shoulder. Luckily her mother had made certain that she was medically insured before she left Quebec. However, after Xrays/Scans confirmed she needed surgery, the insurance company decided Alexa needed to be brought back home to Quebec, covering all of her return expenses.
This was good news amidst the bad, Alexa would have the support of her family by her side during this painful process. But things aren't that easy in
Quebec, free medicare is great once you are in the system; but when injured out-of-province, it is not so easy.
After being seen by an emergency doctor in one of our larger Laurentian Hospitals, Alexa was put on waiting lists for scans and MRI... as days turned into weeks, we were told that she could always get these done privately ($1600) which we couldn't afford.
Then weeks turned into months and we could see our active 19 year old Alexa, become lethargic and depressed from the constant pain (right shoulder
tear on right handed person = constant pain).
Our sympathetic family doctor tried to pull some strings on several occasion, a year had passed now, still no medical help or solution was in sight. Then,
after she spoke of how she could no longer live with the acute pain... Mom decided she was going to get help no matter what... again hours were spent in an emergency waiting room and when she finally saw another doctor he couldn't believe Alexa had been suffering this long. He asked us if we would be OK with driving to another City to see an orthopedic surgeon friend of his. They had been in med school together and he could make sure Alexa
would be seen by him quickly. It was a 2 hour drive to, but needless to say Mom would have driven across Canada so that her
daughter could be pain free.
To our great relief, within a week Alexa was in the surgeons' office... within a few more weeks, she had gotten a scan, MRI and pre-op tests and in April
2017, more than 2 years after her ski accident, she finally underwent reconstructive surgery. We couldn't be happier she was finally on the path to
recovery.
Alexa needed a lot of physiotherapy but next thing we knew, as quickly as she had been brought back home, she was back in her car, heading back to
Whistler. Though Alexa never felt her right shoulder was 100% back, she attributed it to the 2 year delay to get the surgery and the 4 screws she now
had in her shoulder.
(Taken at Du Suroit Hospital, QC, Canada, in April 2017 after Alexa's first surgery)
Then in January 2018, happily working 2 jobs to afford her small apartment, car & life in her chosen environment, Alexa had a total dislocation of her
right shoulder by simply pulling on her blankets in the middle of the night asleep. This occurs when the head of the upper arm bone (humerus) is completely forced out of the shoulder socket (glenoid). She was brought into emergency, placed on morphine and informed that she had a new tear. Much bone loss had taken place during the 2 year wait and another surgery was needed. Within weeks Alexa, by now a B.C. resident, had the MRI and the scan
and could be in the O.R. within a month, and though the surgery itself would be covered by B.C. Medical Services Plan, she had not been working in B.C. long enough to receive any type of unemployment compensation.
A difficult situation but not a difficult decision: Alexa HAD to get the second surgery in B.C., waiting another 2 years in Quebec was not an option.
Mom now had to find a way to support her.
Every time a shoulder dislocates, it causes meniscus tears, complications & encourages more bone loss. In Alexa's case, trying to keep up with the 2 jobs, had had dozens of partial dislocations & other slips.
Dr. Brook-Hills, a very reputable orthopedic surgeon in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., discussed the Latarjet procedure with Alexa, but refused to do
this procedure on someone so young. If any other incident happened to Alexa's right shoulder, there would be no other options and she could be faced
with debilitating consequences.
So in August 2018, Alexa went through a second reconstructive surgery, another 3 screws were needed to repair the new tears.
Unfortunately, Alexa could no longer work, from the total dislocation up until the 2nd surgery; nor for the mandatory 3 months after the surgery;
meaning Mom had to pay for her car loan; her car insurance; her rent; her cell; her food and expenses for 5 months.
Did we mention single parent? Again by the time Alexa needed the extremely important physiotherapy sessions, which are not covered by B.C. MSP,
there was very little money left. Mom had already borrowed from friends & family and remortgaged the family home
(Taken at Squamish General Hospital in Squamish, B.C. August 2018)
Please understand that we are not complaining in any way... Mom is just out of breath... and her extraordinary 23 year old daughter, who has been
struggling with her right shoulder pain and problems for close to 5 years now has gone back to work 3 jobs; in a ski shop, carrying & tuning heavy skis;
babysitting & carrying young children; and cleaning AirBnB condos to try and provide for herself as quickly as possible unfortunately without proper
physiotherapy.
Now shortly after Alexa's 2nd surgery, Dr. Brooks-Hill told her she needs the Latarjet procedure surgery... as she performed the surgery, she was
surprised that the bone loss was greater than she had first seen on the scans... there's simply nothing left to stop her shoulder from slipping out of the
socket.
Alexa is in constant pain as her shoulder dislocates on the regular; her pain is no longer numbed by the increasing number of pain killers she is
now taking daily as her resistance to narcotic opioids increases. We now fear addiction might soon come as we don't know what else to do, we humbly ask for help, from family, from friends, from friends of family and friends of friends... from strangers, from people who can afford to help
even in the smallest way.
It's December 2018... and Alexa suffers, every time she tries to comb her hair, to put on make-up, to open a door, to put on a sweater, to carry groceries. Though she lives minutes away from Whistler Blackcomb, she hasn't skied in 3 years, she doesn't swim, she has trouble cutting vegetables to cook.
Every time she moves her right arm, pulls the sheets while asleep, covers her face when she
sneezes or coughs ANY MOVEMENT brings her to tears, and when she goes to work and loads up with enough pain killers to numb the pain, her
shoulder simply dislocates by lack of prevention pain, causing more damage and more pain, and needing more pain killers. This is a vicious circle that someone so young should not be stuck in. We haven't seen or heard the fun loving daughter/sister that we used to in years.
Alexa needs the Latarjet procedure.
In order to get this important surgery, she needs to commit not to work for a minimum of 5 months and go through 2 physiotherapy sessions per week; as of the 3rd recovery month, for 2 months.
(Taken at TMC Freeriderz Pro Shop in Whistler, B.C. December 2018)
She is a wonderful young adult, always been a hard worker, a loving and helping human. Her employers, friends & family would all agree.
She's gone from skiing since she's 4 years old, to Cheer-leading and Cross-country Running, to having to learn to be left handed and in constant pain.
The darker moments worry us, it is hard to understand how
discouraging it is for her to look at the many years ahead of her and consider this pain to be present for the rest of her life, that is why at the lowest lows, talks of *I can’t anymore* *It's just not worth it* make everyone very very worried.
Alexa would be so upset at us for doing a GoFundMe ! But we feel we are out of options and time. Alexa needs the Latarjet surgery as soon as possible
so she can turn the page on these painful years and move forward with the lovely life she has chosen for herself.
Thank you, with all our hearts, for helping Alexa get back to a normal pain free .
Alexa's loving Mother & Brother,
Eileen & Robert
--
STORY RECAP & BREAKDOWN
--
Chronological Order of Events
January 2014, Alexa falls during a skiing accident in Whistler British Columbia, Canada.
Emergency CT Scan, Our travelling insurance (Blue Cross Insurance) repatriates Alexa to Montreal, Quebec, since Quebec has the lowest medical rates of all Canadian provinces (Saving the insurance company & the government money).
It took 3 months for the CT Scan to be done, 2 years for the Contrast Dye MRI & she is STILL on the waiting list back in Quebec as you read this.
October 2015 Alexa waits 6 hours in an emergency room because she cannot take the pain anymore, upon inspection, ER Doctor is outraged that she is left waiting for months on end while her arm regularly dislocates, worsening the injury and leaving her in soaring pain.
ER Doctor writes Alexa a referral to his orthopedic surgeon friend, a 2 hour drive away in Valleyfield, QC.
With a Referral, Alexa receives an MRI, X Rays and all related tests within 2 weeks.
April 2016, Dr. Marie-Claude Leblanc Performs Reconstructive surgery on Alexa.
(2 Years after ski accident - An Additional Year added du to Dr Leblanc being on maternity leave)
September 2016, Alexa returns to Whistler BC stops skiing and doing outdoor sports by fear of hurting herself further.
December 2017, Alexa becomes BC Resident
January 2018, her right shoulders starts to dislocate fully.
February 2018 total right shoulder dislocation that cannot be put back in socket – emergency hospital admittance, placed on morphine.
3rd CT Scan & MRI reveals new tearing.
Referral to Dr. Brook-Hills orthopaedic surgeon at Sea to Sky Orthopedic Clinic, in Whistler, BC
August 2018 Dr Brook-Hills performs a 2nd reconstructive surgery on her shoulder.
3 Days after surgery, Dr. Brook-Hills tells Alexa that her shoulder was not completely repaired during surgery due to worst conditions than expected, she now needs a Latarjet procedure – her pain and dislocations get much worse.
January 21st Alexa gets a 5th Contrast Dye MRI at St-Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver
Dr Brooks-Hill requests a Second Opinion – now believes Latarjet WILL NOT correct the backward dislocations (the worst kind of shoulder dislocations) that Alexa is now beginning to experience.
Alexa gets Referral to Dr William Regan, renown surgeon & Orthopaedics’ Prof. at UBC.
Informed there’s an 18-month delay for consultation with Dr. William Regan (his office has all the imaging but he will not look at it)
Dislocations get more frequent, pain gets worse every time, the more dislocations, the looser the shoulder gets, the more there are dislocations.
February 2019, another ambulance to Hospital, total backward dislocation – there is simply nothing holding her shoulder in its socket anymore.
Hard Facts
Ligament and muscle tearing in shoulder means constant pain (right handed right shoulder)
If Alexa was born in any other province, the surgery would have been performed on location in British-Columbia. (Because Quebec Medicare does not cover price differences & they wouldn't allow us to either, it’s either fully covered or not)
Quebec Medicare (RAMQ or Régie de L’Assurance Maladie du Québec) is designed in a way that makes it painstakingly complicated to get into the system for an injury generated out of Province, and all other steps pre-op.
Quebec Public Hospitals and RAMQ related services are flooded with requests & patients making the preliminary Orthopedic Surgeon examination months away, only then could he request CT Scans & Contrast Dye MRI.
Though the system is flooded and waiting lists can be incredibly long, Orthopedic Surgeons may decide the urgency of a procedure case by case
Alexa is on heavy pain killers since Feb 2018
March 2018 Alexa is placed on disability but not eligible for unemployment; rent, car, utilities, food or physi becomes impossible to make ends meet.
Alexa should be on disability – but cannot afford to stop working.
Her family cannot sustain Alexa anymore, and cannot afford the surgery or rehab physiotherapy needed after operation.
Family home has been remortgaged to cover costs over the years
Available Options
Option #1 Private Clinic Surgery
Surgery Price 12 000 in Quebec 16 000 in British Columbia
-Can get full reconstructive surgery within a week.
-Getting her out of pain & off painkillers as fast as possible
-Can be done close to her family Quebec or in British-Columbia
-Performed by an experienced Specialist
Option #2 Public Healthcare System
Medicare Covered
-20 to 24 Months waiting times for Quebec, Province, (Near her family)
-12 to 18 months wait times for British-Columbia
-Needs to keep working in mean time while shoulder dislocates
-Continues to live in pain crying for help for 1 to 2 years
-Continues to take high strength opioids daily for 2 to 3 years.
FUNDING BREAKDOWN
Latarjet + Full Right Shoulder Reconstructive Surgery $12 000
Medication + Post-Op Shoulder Brace $500
28 Physiotherapy visits, Payments & Life Costs for 6 months $14 800
Mandatory gym visit every second day for 1 year (Membership) $1 000