Let's help Catrina Gilles (Ormiston) & Dan Gilles

The unthinkable has happened to our beautiful Catrina. If you’ve had the privilege of meeting her you know that Cat is a light that shines on you and wraps you in the warmest hug every time you cross her path. She loves so hard and so genuinely. And in return, she is loved so hard by everyone in her life but, especially by her husband Dan. These two are the greatest example of real-life soul mates. They’ve been in each other's lives for over 30 years. They have shared every big adventure together including backpacking around the world, which Cat made sure to share it with all of us, check out #HSATW on insta for a glimpse. From rock shows around the globe, to completely throwing herself into her career in the Vancouver film industry, to showing up consistently and genuinely for her family and friends, Cat knows how to live a beautiful life. However, on November 25th, 2022 the universe decided to brutally test her and Catrina collapsed with a brain aneurysm. She underwent intensive neurosurgery at Vancouver General Hospital. There was very little hope from the surgeons, that she would recover from her extensive brain injuries. Cat spent 5 weeks being mostly unresponsive but during that time she slowly became medically stable. Dan stayed at VGH sleeping in the cafeteria and sitting beside his wife watching for signs that she was still in there. ‘If I tickle her foot she pulls it back.’ Or ‘Her eyes opened for a few seconds today.’ He held out so much hope for her even when the outlook was so bleak because he knows what a fighter she is, we all do. And on January 1st, 2023 Cat started responding. It was the greatest start to the new year that we could have ever hoped for. And with that, Cat and Dan are beginning the greatest, most painful, and most tragic fight they will ever have to fight. We don’t know how much of Catrina that we will get back but we see more and more of her fiery personality beaming through every day. Currently, Cat still has not been able to move the right side of her body, and she is relearning how to speak. We all know this is going to be a long road and the outcome is uncertain but, it is clear that Cat wants to fight for it and that’s all we need, for her to want it as much as we all want her to fight. Unfortunately, during this time, life keeps on moving forward, costs are starting to pile up, and Cat’s fight is being compromised because of money. There are countless medical expenses hovering over her path to recovery. Cat will require around the clock care once she makes it home. The hope is that Dan will be able to take some more time off of work to be by her side day in and out. Leaving Cat on her own and going back to work is not an option for

Dan. Our highest hopes are that we can raise enough money to afford Cat the medical equipment, and specialists that she will need during her lengthy recovery while also buying some more time for Dan to continue to be right by her side through it all. We want to humbly, thank you for taking the time to read through Cat’s story.