My name is Giuseppe, and I am raising funds for my daughter Sydney. She is 27, and she is running out of time.
On July 21, 2023, Sydney was stopped at a red light when her car was violently rear-ended by a driver who had fallen asleep. In seconds, the life she had built was taken from her.
Before the crash she was a healthy 24-year-old, running her eyelash business, hiking, traveling, living independently. Today she is largely bedbound. She relies on a cane, a walker, a wheelchair, and constant help from our family. She cannot work, drive, cook, or manage basic tasks on her own. Standing, brushing her hair, or walking a few steps can trigger fainting, severe dizziness, or dangerous spikes in her heart rate.
She lives with more than 30 severe symptoms, including chronic migraines, fainting, balance loss, cognitive impairment, difficulty breathing and swallowing, extreme fatigue, and POTS. For Sydney it never ends. It never goes away.
After months of decline and no answers in Canada, she was diagnosed with cranio-cervical instability — an unstable skull and upper spine putting pressure on her brainstem. There are no Canadian neurosurgeons performing the surgery she needs. Twelve Ontario neurosurgeons declined her case. OHIP denied out-of-country funding after months of review. We have no options left in Canada.
Specialists in New York have formally diagnosed her and accepted her for cranio-cervical fusion surgery at Mount Sinai. Her surgeon is waiting. This is not elective. It is her only path to stabilization and survival.
The full cost of her life-saving care is $493,700. That covers diagnostic testing, the fusion surgery, ICU recovery, and the work already completed in New York. Every gift moves her closer to the operating room.
If you can donate, or share this page, it means everything to our family. Thank you for standing with Sydney.
With love and thanks, Giuseppe Gesualdi
