Help support Odessa’s recovery
Donation protected
Dear friends, family and kind strangers, we are Odessa McGill's family, and we are reaching out to ask for support as we all pull together to help her adjust to life in a wheelchair.
On September 27th, 2024, Odessa underwent an extensive surgery to remove a rare tumour from her spinal cord. We had hoped this would be a simple surgery and she would be home within 4 days. But, this was not the case. It was a very difficult surgery, causing increased damage to her spinal cord and nerves, and unfortunately, has left her paralyzed from the waist down. She has been living in the hospital ever since.
This has been truly devastating. Odessa is 22 years old. She is a kind, caring person, who is always thinking of others. Before her surgery, she was working full-time at a bakery, she had traveled to Italy and enjoyed crocheting, colouring and drawing, thrifting and hanging out with her friends. She loved biking and swimming. She still has a full life ahead of her and we have created this fundraiser to help make her life easier and the best it can be. The first step is to bring her home where she can recover in comfort, increase her independence and strength, and begin to build a positive future.
Though we don't know exactly what the future holds, we do know that in order to bring Odessa home, we must make many adjustments that have various costs. Here are a few examples of things we will need to do:
- Purchase her own wheelchair that suits her lifestyle.
- Make home adjustments, such as renovating the bathroom to make it wheelchair accessible, widening the doorways, and building wheelchair ramps.
- Providing her with advanced spinal cord injury therapy at a specialized rehab facility, where she can re-learn movement patterns like rolling, sitting, kneeling and, hopefully, walking.
- Purchase various mobility aids, such as a wheelchair cushion and back rest, shower chair, and sliding boards.
We are forever grateful for the help and support of the doctors and nurses at HSC and Concordia hospital, but Odessa's greatest wish right now is to be at home. It will make a world of difference to work on her recovery in the place she grew up in, surrounded by the people and things she loves, and to have her own space again. We all know that home is a special place. It's uplifting, it's motivating, it gives you strength. We all know this is what she needs.
Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity during this difficult time. Asking for help is not always easy, especially to this magnitude. We cannot begin to express how much it means to us and to Odessa.
With love, The McGill Family
Organizer and beneficiary
Jaden McGill
Organizer
Winnipeg, MB
Odessa McGill
Beneficiary