Help Sydney recover from brain surgery
Donation protected
On June 21st while Canadians were celebrating the start of summer, my 9 year-old niece Sydney was undergoing emergency brain surgery.
My sister Eryn Leigh had just graduated two days before from Humber College with a Baccalaureate degree. It was not an easy road for Eryn and Sydney as Eryn put herself through school while raising her active, engaging daughter on her own. Despite having limited resources and accruing a large amount of student debt (like most students), Eryn worked tremendously hard and stayed on the Dean’s List every year.
The extreme high of her graduation was swiftly followed by hearing the worst news a parent can imagine - “Your daughter has a brain tumour”. Sydney had been suffering from headaches for the past three weeks, and each time Eryn took Sydney to the walk-in clinic she was told it was just a virus. Not satisfied with that explanation and knowing that Sydney was not one to complain, Eryn persisted and took her to their family doctor. Thankfully, the doctor was very thorough and detected what she thought was swelling in Sydney’s optic nerve and referred her immediately to the Hospital for Sick Kids. Within a couple of hours, a neurologist told Eryn that the MRI showed a large tumour in her cerebellum.
The shock of hearing those words was unimaginable. Like most parents, Eryn never thought something so serious could ever happen to her 9 year-old child. I don’t know how she got through breaking that devastating news to Sydney. Sydney was frightened but brave as she and her mother faced this hardship as they’d faced hardships before.
The speed with which things happened then was both terrifying and reassuring. There was no time for Eryn and Sydney to internalize what was about the take place before Sydney was prepped and undergoing brain surgery with the hospital’s elite neuro surgery team. My parents and I waited with Eryn and a friend for 7 long hours before hearing the news that everything had gone well. However, Sydney’s immediate recovery was extremely painful and hampered by issues with spinal fluid not draining. This was a week of extreme stress for my sister as she watched her child suffer.
Even though a second MRI after the surgery confirmed that the team had gotten the entire tumour out, Eryn had to spend the next two weeks agonizingly waiting for the pathology report. There are no words to describe how hard that must have been. My sister has had to keep up a brave front for her daughter at the same time that she was consumed by the fear that she might still lose her only child.
As Sydney began to recover and became more active again, it became apparent that she has not suffered any cognitive impairment (HUGE sigh of relief!). However, and not surprising, there are some motor issues that Sydney will have to work to overcome. She is not allowed to stand or walk without an adult at her side for fear of losing her balance and falling. (Notice below the hat shielding the incision on the back of her neck from the sun, and Eryn holding on to her)
Finally, Eryn received the wonderful news that Sydney’s tumour was benign! This is the best news that we could have hoped for. However, the next phase of Eryn and Sydney’s journey begins. Eryn was forced to turn down the job she was to begin on July 8th to be at her daughter’s side. Sydney has weeks, if not months, of physiotherapy ahead of her, and requires near-constant care from her mother. This leaves Eryn unable to work. But in the meantime, she has rent to pay and food to buy to feed her child. In addition to those costs, she now has transportation to medical appointments and follow-up visits to pay for. On top of all of this, Eryn has the burden of her student loans which graduates now have to start paying immediately.
My sister Eryn has always worked hard not just for her child but also for the good of others. She interned last summer at a homeless shelter and achieved her degree in Child and Youth Care counselling. Eryn is a very generous and selfless young woman. For example, she routinely carries around extra pairs of gloves in the winter just to hand out to those who need them.
Eryn and Sydney need our help so that Eryn can provide the care her daughter needs right now in order to recover from this overwhelming blow. Your help will allow Eryn to care for her daughter without fear of losing their home and security. Help from you will determine whether or not she’s forced to do things like take her child on the bus to any appointments. Over the next few months, Eryn will face several thousand dollars of costs, with no way to acquire enough money to support her daughter until she’s able to start working. She is already pursuing employment options for the future, but the instability of her present situation makes any starting date uncertain.
Please consider helping Eryn and Sydney. Eryn has always been quick to help anyone in need, and now it’s our turn to show her that kindness, love, and generosity go both ways. And please share this story so we can get as many people to help as possible.
My sister Eryn Leigh had just graduated two days before from Humber College with a Baccalaureate degree. It was not an easy road for Eryn and Sydney as Eryn put herself through school while raising her active, engaging daughter on her own. Despite having limited resources and accruing a large amount of student debt (like most students), Eryn worked tremendously hard and stayed on the Dean’s List every year.
The extreme high of her graduation was swiftly followed by hearing the worst news a parent can imagine - “Your daughter has a brain tumour”. Sydney had been suffering from headaches for the past three weeks, and each time Eryn took Sydney to the walk-in clinic she was told it was just a virus. Not satisfied with that explanation and knowing that Sydney was not one to complain, Eryn persisted and took her to their family doctor. Thankfully, the doctor was very thorough and detected what she thought was swelling in Sydney’s optic nerve and referred her immediately to the Hospital for Sick Kids. Within a couple of hours, a neurologist told Eryn that the MRI showed a large tumour in her cerebellum.
The shock of hearing those words was unimaginable. Like most parents, Eryn never thought something so serious could ever happen to her 9 year-old child. I don’t know how she got through breaking that devastating news to Sydney. Sydney was frightened but brave as she and her mother faced this hardship as they’d faced hardships before.
The speed with which things happened then was both terrifying and reassuring. There was no time for Eryn and Sydney to internalize what was about the take place before Sydney was prepped and undergoing brain surgery with the hospital’s elite neuro surgery team. My parents and I waited with Eryn and a friend for 7 long hours before hearing the news that everything had gone well. However, Sydney’s immediate recovery was extremely painful and hampered by issues with spinal fluid not draining. This was a week of extreme stress for my sister as she watched her child suffer.
Even though a second MRI after the surgery confirmed that the team had gotten the entire tumour out, Eryn had to spend the next two weeks agonizingly waiting for the pathology report. There are no words to describe how hard that must have been. My sister has had to keep up a brave front for her daughter at the same time that she was consumed by the fear that she might still lose her only child.
As Sydney began to recover and became more active again, it became apparent that she has not suffered any cognitive impairment (HUGE sigh of relief!). However, and not surprising, there are some motor issues that Sydney will have to work to overcome. She is not allowed to stand or walk without an adult at her side for fear of losing her balance and falling. (Notice below the hat shielding the incision on the back of her neck from the sun, and Eryn holding on to her)
Finally, Eryn received the wonderful news that Sydney’s tumour was benign! This is the best news that we could have hoped for. However, the next phase of Eryn and Sydney’s journey begins. Eryn was forced to turn down the job she was to begin on July 8th to be at her daughter’s side. Sydney has weeks, if not months, of physiotherapy ahead of her, and requires near-constant care from her mother. This leaves Eryn unable to work. But in the meantime, she has rent to pay and food to buy to feed her child. In addition to those costs, she now has transportation to medical appointments and follow-up visits to pay for. On top of all of this, Eryn has the burden of her student loans which graduates now have to start paying immediately.
My sister Eryn has always worked hard not just for her child but also for the good of others. She interned last summer at a homeless shelter and achieved her degree in Child and Youth Care counselling. Eryn is a very generous and selfless young woman. For example, she routinely carries around extra pairs of gloves in the winter just to hand out to those who need them.
Eryn and Sydney need our help so that Eryn can provide the care her daughter needs right now in order to recover from this overwhelming blow. Your help will allow Eryn to care for her daughter without fear of losing their home and security. Help from you will determine whether or not she’s forced to do things like take her child on the bus to any appointments. Over the next few months, Eryn will face several thousand dollars of costs, with no way to acquire enough money to support her daughter until she’s able to start working. She is already pursuing employment options for the future, but the instability of her present situation makes any starting date uncertain.
Please consider helping Eryn and Sydney. Eryn has always been quick to help anyone in need, and now it’s our turn to show her that kindness, love, and generosity go both ways. And please share this story so we can get as many people to help as possible.
Organizer
Skye LeMay
Organizer
Orillia, ON
