2nd spinal cord surgery financial help please.

Hi my name is Nicole , At 70, I have faced unimaginable struggles since my spinal cord surgery went horribly wrong in 2020. The aftermath has stripped me of my fine motor skills, complication with my mobility, loss of strength in my limbs and it has left me in such constant agony, that it has led me to apply for MAID as my only option. I am only on old age pension and I would be so grateful if you could assist me financially in helping to finally fixing the mistakes the last surgeon did on my spine.

My pleas for help from my doctor have been ignored for over two and a half years, and my health has only deteriorated. Recently, I found hope through a friend in Belgium, whose neurosurgeon is willing to help. However, I need your support to afford the necessary surgery, dated on July 24, at the Lier hospital in Antwerp.

I’ve dedicated my life to helping others, and now I’m trying to fight the fight for my own well-being. Every contribution brings me closer to an almost Assured pain-free life, allowing me to advocate for those who cannot fight for themselves. I would really appreciate it if you would consider donating to help me reclaim my quality of life and continue helping others . It has been a very difficult journey to get to where I am with the help of a friend in Belgium and a compassionate neurosurgeon.

Jenny the friend that talked me into coming ,was paralyzed for nearly 7 years , the surgeon I am seeing unparalyzed her and she was able to walk again. She also had a surgery in January in her spine with very similar problems to what I have and the surgery was successful.

The surgeon who will undertake my surgery has also informed me that after comparing the MRI from 2019 before my 1st surgery, to the of this month , she addressed me and said that the surgery I had before, was useless as she could see the real problem in both before and after MRI

I wish I would have never had the initial spinal cord surgery . When I was called have this surgery, I did not understand why they where rushing me at such a chaotic time. The hospitals where full of covid and there where no beds anywhere . All seniors where taking all the beds as they could not return them to the nursing homes. where they had no clue what covid was, and all the senior people where taking all the beds because they could not be sent back . They told me that my surgeon had decided to retire in January. I then proceeded to have the surgery in a very chaotic time.

The hospitals had no rooms available, so they put me in a room on a psychiatric ward with 3 Alzheimer’s patients screaming all day long . Not once did I ever see the surgeon, after being weeks in there .

After making an appt with the new neurologist who was taking me in as a new patient after my surgery, she said to me , I don’t understand , there is not one note on your file during all the weeks you were hospitalized. I had to read all your reports to figure out why you had surgery. Your surgeon never left notes. I said to her, I never saw him once after my surgery and she said really that is very odd . I said I figured maybe with all the COVID he was not available , and she said, no he has to do bedside visits to ensure that all is getting better .

About two years later after my surgery , I made an appt at the spinal cord and the chronic pain management clinic. A young doctor asked me who had done my surgery. I told him who it was and he proceeded to tell me how sad it was that my surgeon had full fledge Alzheimer’s disease. That he had studied under him and he like him very much. I never said a word, in shock, but I finally understood why I never saw him after the surgery in the hospital and why he never left notes on my file. The reason why the urgency of surgery during such a chaotic time at the hospital during the beginning of COVID. He had a beginning of dementia and had rushed all surgeries with practicing students. Having known this before hand, I would have never gone forward with the surgery that turned out to physically take me down. Having known this I would of waited until after COVID and find an actual surgeon who I could trust to operate on

The reason why I came to Belgium to be cared for

MY NIGHTMARE WITH MY INCOMPETENT PHYSICIAN OF 28 YEARS

My physician has been a very neglectful person who has done absolutely nothing for me and he has sat on referrals for more than 2 years

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2 1/2 years ago I lost my new neurologist as I had not seen her in 1 year.

Apparently Dr Walsh had let go 7 of my doctor’s patients mostly seniors the same way , if you did not see her in a year you were let go . Having lost my neuro , I asked my physician to refer me to a new one. He has never sent my referral in 21/2 years me asking all the time . . My GP kept saying every time I saw him that it takes a long time as there are barely any neurologist out there. In the meantime a couple of people I know where getting neurologist within 6 to 8 months. The same answer came out of his mouth everytime I saw him and asked him. I kept telling him , I need a neurologist, I can’t bare this pain and I want to look into a pain stimulator. Absolutely nothing got done.

I also asked him to have a nerve pain conduction test, more than 2 years ago to find out whether it was possible to find out where the nerve pain is coming from, and during those years I kept asking him, why don’t I have any appts it’s been two years, he replied the same thing, it takes a long time. I was giving up and then applied for MAID as I was exhausted from the pain .

My doctor’s office was going through major changes to be computerized and one of his receptionist had quit. He was also dealing with his wife who had cancer and died.

Last spring in 2024, I asked his receptionist after not seeing her for several months why when I called the specialist offices they still had not received the referrals needed. Her response was that she had a burn out and had been absent . I said what does that have to do with sending patients referrals out . She shrugged her arms with no answer.

I was in again to see the physician last year for a small growth which hurt in my cervix . After being on the table ready for a Pap smear in the clamps he proceeded to examine and stopped , he said you need a specialist , he immediately stopped examining me and said , I will let him deal with the Pap smear also. I was shocked as he was already examining me in there. I proceeded to ask him while I was getting dressed if my previous gynochologist Dr Beshara was still practicing as he had given me a hysterectomy and prolapse surgery a few years ago and I really liked him. The physician proceeded to tell me that he was still practicing and that he would refer me to him. That was last summer and to this date, this has not been done. I was so sad and distressed as for 2 1/2 years waiting and waiting nothing was ever done for me to proceed to help with my health. I was trying to get myself better with help, but nothing was done and after hitting brick walls, you get desperate knowing that your physician cares about nothing and you can’t move forward without his help to the specialists.

Last summer I went for an appt on a Wednesday , and there was a new receptionist student who had been in charged of computerizing the whole system and I asked her, please can you check why my referrals have not been sent. . She pointed out at the desk where the receptionist had a burn out and a huge pile of referrals was on her desk. She said she was taking care of them on Friday . I asked her to pull out mine immediately in tears and send them while I was there. My referrals and so many patient’s referral had not been sent in more than 2 years which I know as mine where in there. Two days before I left for my trip I finally had a call from Dr Attiri office to come in after waiting almost two years.

Two months ago I received a call from my pharmacist that the doctor had made a mistake on one of the drugs which I had been taken for nearly 30 years including 3 months supply to avoid trips to the pharmacist . We tried for two weeks to rectify the situation after then their office finally sent again the wrong prescription. My parmacist which is a small neighbourhood was shaking his head . I said to him, imagine having all your doctors making mistakes like that .

So before I left for Europe I made an appt. to see this doctor to ensure that he understood that I needed three months supply of my drugs as I was leaving for that amount of time to Europe to see the Neuro surgeon. And to ensure that he did not screw up.

He said no problems and wrote a note on my file. When it was time for the pharmacist to fax my drugs before my departure to Belgium, I received a call from him to tell me that the Dr’s office had again made two mistakes on two drugs that I was taking and that one of them was extremely addictive and strong and it would of been a disaster for me to take when I was in Europe . I had no clue why the mistakes and I was shocked to read about the drug. And even after making a special appt to ensure that all was in order before my departure, the office managed to screw up my meds, . My pharmacist resend the faxes for those two drugs and we never heard back , we faxed three times, I called several times , left emails as I was leaving in a few days and getting stressed not having all my medication in order.

After getting so anxious due to my departure in a few days , my pharmacist proceeded to supply me with a sheet with all my drugs and said go to his office, get him to initial each meds. I take about 12 meditation a day. I drove all the way to Kanata with the paper and I was lucky , he was there , his office was full of patients with no receptionist in sight . I grabbed him in between patients and made him sign the Pharmacist paper telling him I was very concern about the way he ran his practice Including twice in two months having made mistakes on my prescription drugs and left crying. I told him I drove nearly 20 km after trying to reach his office for more than a week and he just replied I am sorry. I had no time to waste with all the patients that there.

I cannot look back, what has been done is done. I am strong, and I am determined until I can’t go forward after years of trying .

Nicole,