Home / Health / Girl Denied Surgery in Canada, Fundraises $500K in US
Girl Denied Surgery in Canada, Fundraises $500K in US
14 Nov
Summary
- Sydney Gesualdi diagnosed with cranio-cervical instability after accident.
- Canadian doctors denied spinal consultations, leading to US surgery.
- Family fundraised over $500,000 CAD for a procedure costing $490,000.
A London, Ontario, father and daughter have surpassed their $490,000 CAD fundraising goal for a cranio-cervical fusion surgery in the United States, a procedure unavailable to them in Canada.
Sydney Gesualdi, 27, was diagnosed with cranio-cervical instability following a 2023 car accident. This condition causes excessive movement between her skull and upper spine, leading to difficulties walking, breathing, and numbness in her face and limbs.
After being denied consultations by at least eight Canadian doctors, the family consulted a New York neurosurgeon. The recommended surgery to fuse her skull to her spine comes with a significant cost.
Through a GoFundMe campaign, the family successfully raised over $500,000 CAD. Sydney's father, Joe Gesualdi, has also been actively advocating for systemic change, undertaking a 200-kilometre walk to Queen's Park and meeting with Health Minister Sylvia Jones.
Despite reaching their financial goal, the family faced disappointment with the Ministry of Health, which stated that out-of-country funding requires a physician's request, a consultation Sydney could not obtain in Canada. The family is now pushing for a review of the out-of-country funding program to make it more accessible.
Gesualdi plans to document Sydney's medical journey on social media once a surgery date, tentatively set for early 2027, is finalized. The family is currently in contact with Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
