The last two years have not been easy for an area family as a sudden onset of transverse myelitis has left 11-year-old Andrea Nickerson without the use of her legs.
Andrea’s mom, Melissa Nickerson, remembers he daughter waking up one morning in 2013 with numbness in her legs.
“She basically woke up and her legs were numb and she was paralyzed from the waist down.” Melissa recalled.
“It just happened within 12 hours. She went to bed with a numb thigh and then when she woke up she was dragging her leg.”
Melissa said at that point it was when Andrea was taken to the hospital, where news was grim.
“They took some x-rays and tests and the doctor there feared that it was going to go up farther to her chest and compromise her lungs,” she said.
“They sent her to Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, and at first they thought it was Guillain-Barré. After a few days of tests and MRIs and stuff, they found it was transverse myelitis.”
According to the Canadian Transverse Myelitis Association, the disease is a neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord and paralysis is a common symptom.
Approximately 1.3 cases are diagnosed per one million people.
As for what caused the onset with Andrea, doctors remain uncertain, Melissa said.
Since Andrea’s release from hospital, she has yet to regain function of her legs, and it has created some logistical challenges for her family.
“It’s an entire life change,” Melissa said.
The family home required re-modeling to accommodate a wheelchair, while everyday life presents more challenges.
“We were able to renovate our bathroom, so that helped because now she can roll in to the shower, and we built a ramp for our house,” Melissa said.
“Getting into places with steps … everything is a challenge, even sidewalk cracks when going for a walk.”
And the family vehicle can’t fit a wheelchair so they’re turning to the community for some support to help Andrea get a wheelchair-accessible van.
Melissa has used the website GoFundMe to help raise some funds, while her family has helped out with different fundraising initiatives.
“I started out with GoFundMe online, that was through Facebook, and then after that my work is doing a silent auction. Lots of people have donated money. My cousin is doing a bottle drive, my stepdad’s work is raffling off an iPad,” she said. “And it just kept going and going.”
As of April 2 $550 has been raised for Andrea’s van through GoFundMe, while money from other fundraisers has yet to be counted. Melissa said she is hopeful that she can raise funds for half of the cost of a wheelchair van.
“Wheelchair vans are expensive, and we’re not planning on buying new, but we want it to last because she’s going to need it forever,” Melissa said.
“Our goal was to raise $10,000 if we had to finance, but we’re thinking about $30,000 for a van.”
By mid-April Melissa plans to wrap up fundraising efforts and start searching for a van.
Melissa said throughout the process people in the community have been gracious, wanting to lend a helping hand.
“Everyone who hears our story, or knows us, is right on board with everything,” she said. “Just because it happened for no reason, so it could happen to anybody.”
To donate to Andrea’s van fund visit http://www.gofundme.com/o47czs.
