Rhian was diagnosed with Lupus April 2007 and Fibromyalgia shortly after. At that time she had been an accomplished professional ballerina and dance instructor for almost 30 years. She worked through those years with Rheumatoid Arthritis that had plagued her since she was young child. Her body has gotten worse as the illness has taken over. She had to quit working because even short walks, driving and getting through a day were excruciating or impossible without assistance.
Care in Canada has been hard for her. The "free" health care system, while not really free, is limited in how much help they will or can provide. It often takes months to see a specialist only to be referred to another specialist and wait more months. After four years of tests, procedures and treatments, her doctors have been unable or (mostly) unwilling help her.
By 2009, due to lack of real care or helpful treatments, her body began to shut down. Through not being able to keep any foods down, anemia and other issues, her weight dropped to under 80 lbs leaving her unable to get from room to room without assistance from someone. By August, she was blacking out regularly until finally getting a much needed blood transfusion December 27th. After nearly losing her, Rhian has fought back and has regained a little strength and independence but she is still far from where she should be and her pain levels are higher than ever. Recent tests have come back with scary and confusing results. Both Rhian and her General Practitioner are left confused and frustrated.
In October 2011 she found a huge glimmer of hope when she was able to register for the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. We are hoping that this visit to the Mayo Clinic will help find answers and solutions to the illnesses that are ravishing Rhian’s body. These visits however, are not free or cheap. There could be added expenses on top of the monthly fees, transportation, lodging, treatments, medication, etc. Rhian’s funds are extremely limited as are ours and any help you could provide would go a long way towards getting this ballerina back on her feet.
Any money donated will go directly to this visit and any other medical expenses Rhian needs while she is in the United States. Any excess will be saved for future expenses either back in Ottawa or in the United States as she needs.
Thank you for your support and your participation in the RhiArmy. We truly appreciate the outpouring of love and support. For more information about Rhian and her story, please listen to the following interview (http://uncast.net/2011/05/18/206/) and visit her blog at Rhiloaded.com.
If you want to donate via paypal you can do so on Uncast.net