Sydney Donaldson is a wife, Aunt, sister, daughter, coworker, and friend whose life has been suddenly and irrevocably changed due to a brain injury. In July 2025, Sydney was a happy healthy 32-year-old: doing cycle bar every day, working her job, cooking dinner for her husband, socializing with friends and living her life to the fullest.

Then one night, upon leaving a concert with a friend, Sydney, experienced what we all thought (or hoped) was a bout of intense vertigo. Out of an abundance of caution, she visited the hospital and discovered extensive brain damage had occurred. In the immediate months, doctors ran test after test and still came up stumped as they witnessed her symptoms drastically worsen in front of their eyes. Since then, now wheelchair bound, Sydney is unable to walk unassisted, has major vision loss, and faces ongoing cognitive challenges in her day-to-day functions.

With little understanding of what the future holds and if a cure or cause can be identified, we are hopeful among the ongoing appointments on the horizon that someday her team of doctors will have more clarity on her situation.

Her doctors have emphasized the importance of keeping her life as low-stress as possible to reduce the risk of future episodes. One of the biggest ways we are hoping to support that is by making her home as efficient as possible for her specific needs. It is a small bungalow that has not needed wheelchair access…until now. Sydney hasn’t been able to get into her kitchen since last July and we’d love to make it possible for her to be able to get around her own home easily and safely.

Our goal is to renovate her home to add accessibility features and a rehab facility area, making everyday tasks safer and more attainable for her while giving her the space to focus on rehabbing her way to better health. These changes will help her feel more independent and at ease in her own home so she can focus on her recovery and well-being.

This gofundme will help relieve the financial burden of these unexpected needs so that Sydney and her husband can stay focused on her ongoing healthcare costs while now on a single income household.

We’re incredibly grateful for your support—whether a donation, sharing this page, or even just sending her a message of love and encouragement. We just want Sydney to live her life as fully as possible and want to do what we can do see her finding the joy in the little things again!

Thank you for your support now and over the last 6 months as we have all adjusted to this new normal for our family. Sending so much love and gratitude!