Pinche Back: Help Sami's Spine Heal
Donation protected
Sami’s Disease
We are fundraising to keep Sami Sallo alive and afloat! Sami has been battling a degenerative spinal disease on her own for a long time and she needs your help! Her diagnosis is a Stage 5 (Advanced!) Protrusion in her Sacral/Lumbar area, protruding into her spinal cord. This follows a pile-up of traumas, including a physical assault.
Significant Events
Sami has been dealing with debilitating migraines and pain for 10 years, with endless doctor visits unable to find the cause.
After a physical assault in 2017, her symptoms worsened. She then increased her efforts to find a solution, which included travelling to South America twice to get further testing.
In early 2018, after additional MRIs, doctors were finally able to confirm her diagnosis of a Stage 5 Advanced Herniated Disc. Over the years, several car accidents and three concussions are thought to have affected this.
Because Sami’s protrusion is advanced, it has been impeding her ability to walk and causes severe nerve pain, paralyzing her legs fully on two occasions. The riskiest effects are causing kidney infections that have sent her to the emergency room four times. She is antibiotic-resistant and allergic to Cipro, making antibiotic therapy not an option.
Daily Challenges and Treatment
This invisible but painful condition has worsened over the years, adding challenges to daily life. She has to deal with frequent migraines and pain. These physical ailments also negatively affect her mental health with anxiety and depression. Especially over the last two years, it’s made it harder for Sami to stay productive in her life and work.
This is a serious disease that causes chronic pain and a high risk of infection with Sami unable to use traditional antibiotics and not wanting to use addictive opiates. She has explored and used a range of natural treatments and plant medicine such as cannabis, psilocybin, colloidal silver, ayurvedic herbs, vitamins, exercise, yoga, and proper nutrition. She has also used paramedical therapies such as chiropractors, physiotherapy, massage therapy, and acupuncture.
Sami’s Options - Continued Medical Treatment and/or Surgery
Sami’s health is somewhat manageable and she is keeping infections at bay on her own, but she is considering a structured, professional medical treatment plan and surgery. Alternative medicine and treatments are not looking like viable long-term solutions due to how advanced her disease is.
She is currently exploring options for spinal surgery and looking to connect with neurosurgeons in Canada and South America. She’s also looking to return to Argentina for the winter, with the climate and more affordable therapies both benefiting her condition. Options for surgery in South America could offer shorter wait times and better costs. This is all pending on a possible timeline for her surgery.
How You Can Help
We are raising funds to support Sami’s therapeutic treatments and potential spinal surgery. Sami has self-funded her treatment so far but is now needing our help. Her disease’s worsening has made it harder for her to work and there is little social assistance for entrepreneurs with disabilities.
The type of spinal surgery Sami will need is a serious procedure that will be very expensive and take plenty of recovery time. As an entrepreneur, she doesn’t have insurance that will cover this and will need time off from work.
Pending the options and timeline for her surgery, she also will benefit from returning to Argentina. There she can receive therapeutic treatments at a lower price and experience fewer painful symptoms thanks to the warmer climate.
About Sami
If you see Sami, you won’t see her disease. She keeps active, dances, swims, practices yoga, and gets outside with her therapy dog and K9 bestie Billie. Even with her physical limitations, she powers through with a smile :) She is an empath and Highly Sensitive Person, always looking to elevate others as well as herself. She channels this through her brand The Co as a conscious business entrepreneur and progressive HR professional by advocating, mindful humanized, management to businesses and organizations. This includes work for companies like LUSH and Stanley Park Brewing to humanitarian work. She is also a vocal advocate for alternative medicine and therapies such as cannabis and psilocybin as a safer alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals.
Unfortunately, her strong will to succeed isn’t enough to truly heal her body. Her disease’s effect on her emotional and mental health has been very trying, making everyday life a battle.
With her condition being invisible to the outside world, she either has to keep it to herself or let people know when it’s affecting her most. This becomes an extra challenge as it’s tough to bring it up with strangers or remind people around her of it. With her disease making her physically sensitive, even a friendly but strong hug can cause her pain.
She wants to keep helping people through her career and life but needs our help now to continue. We’re hoping her friends, her soul fam, and her community can rally to support her when she needs it most.
Mental Health for (Cannabis and Non-Cannabis) Entrepreneurs - Oct 3, 7-9PM
Sami and her collaborator Arnold from Informed High are hosting a free event discussing mental health and well-being at Conscious Lab in downtown Vancouver. It's open to all entrepreneurs, with aspects looking at the cannabis industry, as well as cannabis as a health and wellness tool.
Register for this free event on Eventbrite.
Fundraising Birthday Party - Oct 5
Sami’s starting a new decade on October 5th and we are having a FUNdraising party to celebrate her life and a future of good health. We’d love you all to come out to support her and have a blast. Note: Sami has been a closeted DJ since she was 15, learning to cross-fade and record mixes on cassette tapes. She’ll also be premiering her first DJ set that night!
Please join the party by registering on EventBrite .
We are fundraising to keep Sami Sallo alive and afloat! Sami has been battling a degenerative spinal disease on her own for a long time and she needs your help! Her diagnosis is a Stage 5 (Advanced!) Protrusion in her Sacral/Lumbar area, protruding into her spinal cord. This follows a pile-up of traumas, including a physical assault.
Significant Events
Sami has been dealing with debilitating migraines and pain for 10 years, with endless doctor visits unable to find the cause.
After a physical assault in 2017, her symptoms worsened. She then increased her efforts to find a solution, which included travelling to South America twice to get further testing.
In early 2018, after additional MRIs, doctors were finally able to confirm her diagnosis of a Stage 5 Advanced Herniated Disc. Over the years, several car accidents and three concussions are thought to have affected this.
Because Sami’s protrusion is advanced, it has been impeding her ability to walk and causes severe nerve pain, paralyzing her legs fully on two occasions. The riskiest effects are causing kidney infections that have sent her to the emergency room four times. She is antibiotic-resistant and allergic to Cipro, making antibiotic therapy not an option.
Daily Challenges and Treatment
This invisible but painful condition has worsened over the years, adding challenges to daily life. She has to deal with frequent migraines and pain. These physical ailments also negatively affect her mental health with anxiety and depression. Especially over the last two years, it’s made it harder for Sami to stay productive in her life and work.
This is a serious disease that causes chronic pain and a high risk of infection with Sami unable to use traditional antibiotics and not wanting to use addictive opiates. She has explored and used a range of natural treatments and plant medicine such as cannabis, psilocybin, colloidal silver, ayurvedic herbs, vitamins, exercise, yoga, and proper nutrition. She has also used paramedical therapies such as chiropractors, physiotherapy, massage therapy, and acupuncture.
Sami’s Options - Continued Medical Treatment and/or Surgery
Sami’s health is somewhat manageable and she is keeping infections at bay on her own, but she is considering a structured, professional medical treatment plan and surgery. Alternative medicine and treatments are not looking like viable long-term solutions due to how advanced her disease is.
She is currently exploring options for spinal surgery and looking to connect with neurosurgeons in Canada and South America. She’s also looking to return to Argentina for the winter, with the climate and more affordable therapies both benefiting her condition. Options for surgery in South America could offer shorter wait times and better costs. This is all pending on a possible timeline for her surgery.
How You Can Help
We are raising funds to support Sami’s therapeutic treatments and potential spinal surgery. Sami has self-funded her treatment so far but is now needing our help. Her disease’s worsening has made it harder for her to work and there is little social assistance for entrepreneurs with disabilities.
The type of spinal surgery Sami will need is a serious procedure that will be very expensive and take plenty of recovery time. As an entrepreneur, she doesn’t have insurance that will cover this and will need time off from work.
Pending the options and timeline for her surgery, she also will benefit from returning to Argentina. There she can receive therapeutic treatments at a lower price and experience fewer painful symptoms thanks to the warmer climate.
About Sami
If you see Sami, you won’t see her disease. She keeps active, dances, swims, practices yoga, and gets outside with her therapy dog and K9 bestie Billie. Even with her physical limitations, she powers through with a smile :) She is an empath and Highly Sensitive Person, always looking to elevate others as well as herself. She channels this through her brand The Co as a conscious business entrepreneur and progressive HR professional by advocating, mindful humanized, management to businesses and organizations. This includes work for companies like LUSH and Stanley Park Brewing to humanitarian work. She is also a vocal advocate for alternative medicine and therapies such as cannabis and psilocybin as a safer alternative to traditional pharmaceuticals.
Unfortunately, her strong will to succeed isn’t enough to truly heal her body. Her disease’s effect on her emotional and mental health has been very trying, making everyday life a battle.
With her condition being invisible to the outside world, she either has to keep it to herself or let people know when it’s affecting her most. This becomes an extra challenge as it’s tough to bring it up with strangers or remind people around her of it. With her disease making her physically sensitive, even a friendly but strong hug can cause her pain.
She wants to keep helping people through her career and life but needs our help now to continue. We’re hoping her friends, her soul fam, and her community can rally to support her when she needs it most.
Mental Health for (Cannabis and Non-Cannabis) Entrepreneurs - Oct 3, 7-9PM
Sami and her collaborator Arnold from Informed High are hosting a free event discussing mental health and well-being at Conscious Lab in downtown Vancouver. It's open to all entrepreneurs, with aspects looking at the cannabis industry, as well as cannabis as a health and wellness tool.
Register for this free event on Eventbrite.
Fundraising Birthday Party - Oct 5
Sami’s starting a new decade on October 5th and we are having a FUNdraising party to celebrate her life and a future of good health. We’d love you all to come out to support her and have a blast. Note: Sami has been a closeted DJ since she was 15, learning to cross-fade and record mixes on cassette tapes. She’ll also be premiering her first DJ set that night!
Please join the party by registering on EventBrite .
Organiser
Higher Ground
Organiser
Vancouver, BC
