Support Sydney's Endometriosis Surgery

Hi, my name is Murielle.

Due to the overwhelming interest in helping her daughter and son-in-law, I have convinced my dear friend Lori to create this GoFundMe site to reduce the financial burden that Sydney and Fraser are going through because of Sydney’s health challenges and her upcoming vital Endometriosis surgery and recovery.

There are times in life when it is ok and even necessary to seek support outside of one’s small circle of family and friends. For this special couple, that time is now.

Sydney is battling Stage 4 Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis and is having to go out of the country to Romania for a very complicated surgery, on April 12th, 2023.

The costs associated with managing her daily pain and symptoms are piling up, and now international surgery expenses are simply overwhelming.

Sydney

Sydney is a lovely young woman. She is funny, vulnerable, connected, creative, and hard-working. She is a giver of kindness to anyone she knows or sees that might need a little sent their way.

She has spent her life drawing people into her world through her genuinely kind and compassionate spirit. This is something she is well known for.

I have had the pleasure of getting to know Sydney as a sweet, authentic and bright young woman. She is courageous beyond belief.

Her long battle with pain and debilitating symptoms has not dimmed her beautiful smile that still manages to light up any room.

When I learned of her story, I felt determined to help.

Sydney is adored by her husband, family, friends, colleagues and any person lucky enough to spend time with her, and she returns the love to each of them, without hesitation.

She’s special. If you know her, you know how fortunate you are!

Stage 4 Deep Infiltrating Endometriosis Diagnosis

Sydney learned of her Endometriosis when she and Fraser were trying to start their long-awaited family in 2021. They were struggling with fertility challenges but remained hopeful.

Through the ups and downs of four unsuccessful IVF cycles, Sydney’s health issues quickly became apparent and debilitating.

After aggressively advocating for it, she was eventually referred for a colonoscopy, due to excruciating bowel pain and symptoms.

The results of the colonoscopy and the MRI follow-up exam were devastating. Sydney was diagnosed with the most severe stage of Endometriosis there is.

She was found to have lesions and extensive diseased tissue in multiple areas and on various organs throughout her pelvis.

After years of doctor and specialist appointments, begging for more testing, and no concrete answers, Endometriosis is now adversely affecting Sydney’s ovaries, uterus, bladder, and bowel, which we know of.

Not only does this massively impact her fertility, but because Endometriosis is a progressive disease, it will continue to grow throughout Sydney’s body and upper vital organs if she is not able to get a very specific excision surgery, soon!

Sydney has been forced to put her health first and family dreams second. A tough position to be in, but she has no other choice.

Presurgery, she is still unable, on her worst days, to leave the house, plan ahead, connect with friends and family, care for her sweet schnauzer, or complete her household or home-based business tasks.

Surgery has become Sydney’s best chance at a normal, pain-free life.

Finding Expert Surgery and Care Outside of Canada

Tragically, Canada does not have the surgical resources for women like Sydney with Stage 4 endometriosis.

With her symptoms worsening, medications getting stronger and the side effects becoming scarier, Sydney has had to look outside of her own country for better care and the expertise she needs to remove as much of this disease from her body as possible. Her quality of life depends on this very extensive excision surgery.

Knowing that her Endometriosis is spreading, this brave young couple will be heading to the Bucharest Endometriosis Centre in Romania in early April for Sydney’s deep excision surgery and bowel resection.

This surgery is complicated and risky. Thankfully, in Romania, it will be performed by a very qualified and experienced team of surgeons, anaesthetists and surgery nurses.

This is not only a very emotionally and physically stressful time for Sydney, but it is also a huge financial burden.

The monetary costs throughout this challenging time have come from managing her pain and symptoms with heavy medications, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, various physical and psychological therapies, yoga, meditation, support groups and further medical specialist appointments, to name a few.

It’s a lot.

The initial goal of this GFM is to raise $20,000 (CAD) so that Sydney can finally get the help she so desperately needs, without the financial stress.

On top of the various medical bills already paid, Sydney and Fraser will now face numerous costs, such as:

A Long Road to Recovery

It is predicted that Sydney’s body will take a year to recover if there are no complications. During this time, her ability to work will be affected, their costs will remain high, and their life will be far from normal.

The additional unmeasured costs that will arise for Sydney post-surgery will be post-op specialists and medications, lost income, and continued therapies for rehab and re-teaching her body how to function normally for day-to-day requirements.

In wanting to do something to support Sydney and Fraser, I am spearheading this fundraiser through Lori, hoping to pay for a portion of the many bills that have already piled up and will continue to do so over the next several months.

With an initial goal of $20,000, I hope that creating a slight dent in their costs will ease some of the stress for Sydney and Fraser, reducing a piece of their overwhelm when they return to Canada in May.

I hope that this special couple can receive the love and support that they deserve. This is what community and connection are all about.

Thank you all for any support that you can offer. Please know that your help is greatly appreciated and is going to a truly worthy couple.

We can’t thank you enough. Xo Murielle, Lori and family

For More Information

Endometriosis is a complex and debilitating chronic disease that occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus implants outside of the uterus to form lesions, cysts, and deep nodules. Symptoms often begin in adolescence and may include severe menstrual cramps, chronic pelvic pain, pain during sex, fatigue, and infertility. Endometriosis affects more than 1 in 10 women, trans and queer people globally. There is no definitive cause or known cure for endometriosis.

To learn more about Endometriosis or the Bucharest Endometriosis Clinic, visit:

https://endoact.ca/

https://bucharestendometriosiscenter.com/