Support Nick and Courtney Pretty During This Medical Battle

Update November 1st:

We would like to provide an update for our friends and family who have shared and/or donated to Nick and Courtney. Your generous donations have been able to put gas in cars, food in bellies, and aid in monthly bill payments and other expenses.

Nick remains an inpatient at the QEII and has been there since October 18th. He has undergone numerous diagnostic imaging scans, blood tests, and another lumbar puncture. With the help of medication, his cerebrospinal fluid pressure has reduced from 53 to 25 (closer to normal range of 18-20). He still is unable to move his legs and his condition remains otherwise unchanged.

No diagnosis has been made. However, through testing they have discovered signs of an inflammatory response in the spinal cord. Another lumbar puncture will be coming in the following days to be sent to the United States for further testing and analysis. His neuro team continues to search for answers.

Update Oct 21st:

Thank you to all who have shared and donated. On behalf of Nick and Courtney, we are extremely grateful for the support from the community. Your generosity and kind words truly make a world of difference during these unprecedented times. In the coming days, Nick will undergo a repeat MRI of the brain and eyes, a scan of the blood vessels in his back, and further electromyography testing per his neurology team at the QEII.

For those of you who have commented with suggestions on what his diagnosis could be, we appreciate your concern. Nicks neurology team studying his case is either aware of, or has already tested for conditions mentioned. We’ve responded to a few of these comments but are unable to respond to all. Although some of Nicks symptoms do align with certain conditions (Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Lyme disease, Meningitis, etc.) his team does not feel comfortable with these diagnoses based on their medical knowledge and diagnostic testing results. We still do not have any diagnosis as of today.

Hi everyone,

Some of those closest to me and my family may already be aware of what is going on, but for those who don’t, my brother Nick has been dealing with a mysterious illness for almost two months. This illness is severely impacting his mental and physical health.

Around September 6th, he began to have slight tingling in his legs. He attributed this to the typical weakness/tiredness of getting over a cold. As the days went on, his mobility got worse. The tingling became numbness and weakness that spread through each leg. He began experiencing blurry/double vision. At this point, he required a walker to aid his mobility.

His first hospital visit was to Valley Regional emergency where they said he was dehydrated and was sent home after IV fluids. He was not getting better and went back to emergency, where they found a bulging disc in his lumbar region. They scheduled him a neuro consult for late October. By this time, his wedding with his beautiful wife Courtney was just around the corner, and he wanted answers faster than that.

By September 27th, he was mostly wheelchair bound. The next step was emergency at the QEII in Halifax, where they concluded his disc bulging was not severe enough to be causing his symptoms. The QEII kept him inpatient for testing until the day before his wedding, where they discharged him with no diagnosis and suggested physiotherapy. A few days after the wedding, he attended his ophthalmology appointment that was arranged due to his blurry/double vision symptoms he began exhibiting earlier. The ophthalmologist sent him back to VRH as his nerves were swollen. The VRH performed a lumbar puncture where his cerebrospinal fluid pressure was 53, where it should be 18-20. They began prophylactically treating him for meningitis, but still, no definitive answer.

Today on Oct 18th, Nick has been an inpatient at the Valley Regional Hospital for a week and has been transferred back to the QEII. He has lost complete feeling in his legs, lower abdomen, and can no longer wiggle his feet/toes. He is fully reliant on a wheelchair when transported in hospital for testing but spends most of his time bed bound, and needs assistance for many tasks. After countless blood and imaging tests, we still have no answers, no diagnosis, and no foreseeable end to the hospital stays.

For most, the newlywed period is a time of happiness, bliss, and celebrating each others love. For Courtney and Nick, it has consisted of anxiety, medical appointments, and hospital stays, all resulting in theories from doctors, but no diagnosis or definitive treatment.

We ask you to please consider donating if you are able, to help ease the burden on both of them during this time in order to focus on his health. These funds will be used to cover the cost of gas for travel to and from the QEII as we live 1.5hrs away, food, and help offset the costs of bills for taking time off work. Nick has not been able to work since September 6th, and his wife Courtney has taken multiple days off work to accompany him during his hospital stays to advocate for his care and assist him as needed due to his limited mobility. If you are not able to donate, please share this link. Every effort to spread Nicks story is very appreciated. Thank you.