Ontario parents push empty wheelchair to fund daughter’s $500K surgery

Desperate to save their daughter, a devoted mom and dad pushed her empty wheelchair through Ancaster today, walking from London to Toronto.

These parents are trying to raise enough money to pay for life-saving surgery. A surgery they say OHIP won’t pay for.

They’re teaming up to save their Sydney, and others in need of the same surgery, one step at a time.

“It will restore Sydney to have a second shot at life again,” says Joe Gesualdi, Sydney’s dad.

“We’re fighting a bigger fight. We really want change to happen,” says Kim Gesualdi, Sydney’s mom.

Joe Gesualdi is pushing his 27-year-old daughter Sydney’s wheelchair while her mother Kim drives the support vehicle, trying to raise nearly $500,000 in donations.

Ontario’s health care system won’t pay for a procedure only available in the U.S., that the family says is needed to save Sydney’s life.

“So we have no treatment options, no treatment pathway here in Ontario,” says Sydney’s dad.

“It’s very frustrating because you know we had submitted all the requirements when submitting the out of country application, we met all the criteria,” Sydney’s mom says.

In an email to CHCH News, the Ministry of Health says it doesn’t comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality.

Adding that it doesn’t direct individual patient care, it’s up to a patient’s doctor to determine if an out-of-province referral is needed.

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“OHIP denied Sydney’s funding saying that the surgery was not the appropriate intervention for her injury,” Sydney’s dad says.

But the family says their medical experts disagree, and a neurosurgeon in New York is ready to perform the operation as soon as the money is secured.

But time is of the essence, as Sydney’s condition – called Craniocervical Instability – caused when she was rear-ended in a car accident three years ago, has left her suffering badly.

“Sydney is in decline, Sydney experiences pain and discomfort every single day, she’s unable to walk. Sydney is confined to her bed largely,” says Sydney’s dad.

So the parents say they will keep getting the word out and trying to raise money before it’s too late for their daughter.

Sending her messages along the way to try and keep hope alive.

“That really kind of lifts her spirits and brightens her day, just to hear what people have to say and we get people to sign the get well card and she really enjoys seeing that,” says Sydney’s mom.

Sydney’s parents are giving out t-shirts – donated by a supporter – to help raise awareness and support the fundraising efforts.

They are hoping to meet with Premier Doug Ford in Toronto to discuss their belief Sydney’s surgery should be covered by OHIP.

Anyone who wants to help can donate to their GoFundMe.

So far they have raised about $155,000, which means they still need another $350,000.

Joe and Kim will be walking through more of Hamilton and into Burlington in the coming days.

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