Help Alyson with her Medical Expenses

Hello dearest friends and family. I'm Dara, the daughter of my beloved, fiesty, strong mother - Alyson De Freitas!

If you're reading this, you likely know Alyson to some degree - weather she's a great friend, acquaintance, or relative.

For those who may not be aware, my mom has some medical complications and has been in and out of the hospital for the past few years. She has a rare blood clotting disorder called Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and has had many blood clots form on her lungs. This is a progressive illness that cannot be cured by blood thinning medication. Mom has been incredibly strong over the past couple of years, though these stubborn clots have done permanent damage to her lungs and other organs. She has not been able to work and has lost out on nearly 2 and half years of income due to the toll that it has taken on her body.

Mom has been told by doctors that her life expectancy is around five years. This was, of course, shocking news. The bright side (there is a bright side!) is that there is a complicated surgery (Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy ) that can be performed. Surgeons have seen immense success with patients that have undergone and recovered from the procedure - most patient's pulmonary pressures return to normal and their quality of life has improved overall and they could return to their regular lifestyle a few months after recovery.

As mentioned, this surgery is very complicated, and only a few highly skilled cardiac surgeons can perform it (without going into all the details, the heart needs to be stopped during the procedure). Presently, mom is waiting to go to Toronto where Dr. Marc de Perrot and his excellent team will perform the procedure. Toronto is the only place in Canada where you can get this surgery. Mom has had video calls with Dr. Marc de Perrot and is really happy with him; he has been incredibly kind and helpful explaining to mom in detail how everything will go down.

My dad, Derek De Freitas, will be accompanying mom to Toronto (in his words, "There's no way I'm not going to be there for her!"). While mom's flight and hospital stay is covered by the Government, dad's flight, accommodations, food, and travel to-and-from the hospital will not be covered. If you're familiar with Toronto, and flying within Canada, then you know these expenses are going to be pretty high, and mom is expected to be in Toronto for at least 3-weeks.

Mom was very hesitant to let us start a GoFundMe Campaign for her, but we were able to convince her that many people want to help in any way that they can for someone who has helped so many others throughout the years. We expect the costs, which include: taking care of bills while they are away, all the related expenses during the stay in Toronto, and after-care will be around $10,000. My brother, Davin and I will be taking care of some costs, but with that being said any amount helps if you are able to contribute - she'll kill me if I don't add this part - please do not feel pressured to do so if you are not in a position to help financially.

Let's pull together and help alleviate Alyson and Derek's expenses so that Alyson can focus fully on pre and post-surgery, healing, and getting back to normal! Thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read this and for any contributions - on behalf of the De Freitas family - your love, generosity, and support is a warm beacon of light during these trying times. A special note from Mom: All prayers and your own well wishes will be most appreciated <3

Love, Dara and Davin